Road of Loyalty
by LadyVisionary
Summary: Over a decade has gone by since the war, but Buffy and Remus might be on the edge of another - against the same enemy. Harry is in danger - not only from Voldemort but also from Sirius Black. But unknown to everyone else, Sirius is not really after Harry - but in his hunt for Peter Pettigrew, will his Godson end up in the crossfire?
1. Loyalty

DISCLAIMER  
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.

TIMELINE  
Part 4 in _Roads Travelled._ Prisoner of Azkaban to Goblet of Fire (1993-1995) AU. Eventual spoilers for HP book 1-7, BTVS season 1-7 and ATS season 1-4 AU.

STORY SUMMARY  
BTVS/HP crossover. Over a decade has gone by since the war, but Buffy and Remus might be on the edge of another - against the same enemy. Harry is in danger - not only from Voldemort but also from Sirius Black. But unknown to everyone else, Sirius is not really after Harry - but in his hunt for Peter Pettigrew, will his Godson end up in the crossfire? Connections are forged, questions are answered and friendship and family can be found were you least expect it.

PAIRINGS  
Buffy/Remus, possible hints of others

* * *

_Loyalty._

_It's such a funny thing, that. What's it worth, really? To me, it was everything...and yet, it also destroyed my life. It destroyed my friendship with Remus, for a time. It destroyed the life of my best friend, my brother, my Godson... James trusted me and I trusted Peter...and Peter's loyalty turned out to be to our worst enemy. Loyalty, to me, is worth nothing now. I only have myself and loyalty is only a reminder of a time I can't go back to. And without loyalty, without friends and family to depend on, what's left, if not revenge? I will avenge what I lost. Peter, I'm coming for you. I will find you. I will catch you. And I will kill you. Even if it's the last thing I ever do. It's not like I have anything else worth living for._

_- Sirius Black._

* * *

**24 July, 1993**

Harry Potter was lying on his back in bed, absently petting his snowy-owl, Hedwig. The beautiful owl had been a gift from Hagrid who had introduced him to the wizarding world two years ago. Before his visit, Harry had been completely unaware that there was such a thing as magic, and even more ignorant of the fact that he was a wizard – and a _famous _wizard to boot. When he was a baby, he had survived a curse from the greatest Dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, when so many others – people including his parents – had not. Harry had escaped with only a lightning bolt scar and somehow, Voldemort's powers had been destroyed when he tried to kill Harry.

But he wasn't gone, and at the end of his first year at Hogwarts, the wizarding school Harry attended, Voldemort had tried to kill him again, determined to regain the power he had lost, with the Philosopher's Stone, which had been hidden at the school. After traipsing through various obstacles, Harry had found himself face to face with not professor Snape, the Potions professor Harry had suspected, but with professor Quirrell, the stuttering Defence professor. Quirrell, it turned out, had only pretended to be useless and scared of his own shadow - in actuality, he had had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head, hidden beneath his turban.

Harry had barely survived, and at the end of last term, he had once again come face to face with Voldemort, albeit a younger version. All throughout his second year, Harry had been dealing with three mysteries: the first mystery involved students being attacked from behind, with none of the victims able to describe their assailant. To add to the mystery and potential danger, there had been writing on the wall above the first victim, first-year Gryffindor Colin Creevey: _Enemies of the Heir, beware.(1)_ Almost everyone in the school had agreed the message had been referring to the Heir of Slytherin, and before long, the rumours of the attacker being someone invisible had spread through the school.

Unfortunately enough for Harry, the fact that he owned an invisibility cloak wasn't the big secret he'd thought it was – almost all of Gryffindor had known. That information had soon been spread to the rest of the student-body, and Harry found himself the prime suspect and ostracised. Luckily enough for him, his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, stood by him, Hermione even suggesting the attacker might be using invisibility or camouflage spells to remain unseen.

Their support was even more appreciated when rumours increased after Harry accidentally revealed he was a Parselmouth and could talk to snakes, which was considered to be a sign of a Dark Wizard - during professor Lockhart's duelling club.

The second mystery involved Dobby, a house-elf who had tried to keep him from returning to Hogwarts, and when that failed, tried to get him to leave, injuring him in the process.

The third mystery involved a diary that wrote back: Harry had first found it in the ghost Moaning Myrtle's bathroom,(2) where someone had tried to flush it down the toilet. By writing in the diary, Harry had learned it used to belong to a student called Tom Riddle, and at first, he had found himself intrigued by the things Tom wrote.

Upon learning Harry was a second year, Tom began to advise him regarding the electives the students could choose to take during third year, something Harry was grateful for since until then, he'd had no clue, and during Easter holidays, Harry happily signed up for Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy.(3)

Harry and Tom had kept communicating, Tom going on to tell him a lot of things about how the wizarding world worked, things Harry had been unaware of, but then took it a step further and told him how_ he _thought it _should _work. That's when alarms had begun to ring in Harry's head: the world Tom described sounded a lot like a world Voldemort might have wanted to rule over, with a clear negative stance towards Muggles, and he had put the diary away. Soon after, the diary had been stolen after someone broke into Harry's trunk, and though worried, Harry didn't exactly mourn the loss.(4)

At the end of his second year, upon entering the Gryffindor common room a few days before exams were about to start, he had found Ron's younger sister, Ginny, lying with her head on the lap of an older male student Harry hadn't recognised. She had been extremely pale, while her companion seemed to have a sort of odd glow around him. As Harry approached to check on Ginny, remembering she'd been progressively getting more and more sickly looking over the course of the school year, the boy had said she was sleeping, and introduced himself as Tom.

Harry had held out his hand for Tom to shake when he had noticed the diary on the table...and finally, Harry had put all the clues together, realising all three mysteries were connected. Tom had stood up, his eyes gleaming red, and explained with the help of an anagram that he was Lord Voldemort _before _he became Voldemort. He explained how Ginny had been writing in his diary for months, pouring out her soul, confessing all her fears and secrets, to him. This had strengthened Tom in turn, and soon enough, he had been able to possess Ginny, and through her, attack the students - all Muggle-borns.

That's when Tom had stopped talking and began to attack Harry and the students gathered in the common room, who had been listening with horror and fascination, with Ginny's wand. Harry had thrown the diary into the fireplace in an attempt to destroy it, but nothing had happened, and Tom simply laughed. To his horror, as the attack went on, Harry realised Ginny was looking increasingly blurred around the edges, as though she was seizing to exist, while Tom became stronger.

If it hadn't been for Hermione, who had managed to slip away and get Dumbledore, Harry wasn't sure how things would have ended. Dumbledore had shot a long, huge flame from the tip of his wand onto the diary in the fireplace, and unlike the fire in the fireplace, this flame worked, and the diary began to burn, alongside Tom, who had exploded into dust at the same time as the diary was destroyed. Dumbledore had later told Harry the spell he had cast was Fiendfyre,(5) a cursed fire that was extremely difficult to control and would burn anything in its path, and warned him never to attempt it.

With the diary destroyed, and Voldemort defeated, Ginny had woken up, horrified by what she had done. No one had blamed her, however, or if they did, no one said it to her face, and second year had ended happily. Dobby had been freed from the Malfoys - Lucius Malfoy, it turned out, was the one who had given the diary to Ginny in the first place, which was how and why he had tried to warn Harry.

Looking back on his first two years at Hogwarts, the summer holidays were dull in comparison - and of course, Harry could have done without the Dursleys, his hateful relatives who despised everything about magic, Harry included. All in all, Harry was quite looking forward to his third year and what it would bring... Oh, it wasn't that Harry _longed_ for a situation where he was in danger, far from it - he realised how lucky he was to still be alive - but surely, something _exciting _but not_ life-threatening, _wasn't too much to ask for?

* * *

"...And here is our high-security wing. It is the most heavily guarded, with Dementors around both day and night, though they alternate with us human guards every now and then: since they cannot see, we need to make sure the prisoners aren't up to anything with regular intervals. Of course, most of them are insane and incapable of doing much except muttering, from the long exposure they've had to the Dementors' influence."

Sirius' ears perked up and he quickly turned back to human form: whenever the Dementors left, human guards were never far behind, and he had been prepared for a guard patrol and ready to transform from the moment the Dementors vacated the corridor. But he had not expected a visitor, and he wondered who had decided to grace him and his followers with their presence.

Since Sirius had ended up in Azkaban, the prison had gone through several rotations of guards, none of them lasting much longer than a year. The longest to date had lasted three years, and it had been a guard who had gotten him both a blanket and a new newspaper every week so he could do the crossword, honouring their bet of who would last in the prison longer - Sirius, or the guard. But it had been a long time since then, and Sirius had gotten no new newspaper after he quit, no way for him to keep track of the time or what went on in the real world.

The newest guard was green - all the Azkaban guards were either Aurors with certificates with ink that had barely gotten the chance to dry, or those who had somehow messed up and were given an Azkaban rotation as punishment. Or they were old veterans on the brink of retirement, shuffled away to Azkaban to get them out of the way of the actual force. But there were a few who did come here by choice, who had heard of the horrors of Azkaban and wanted to prove their worth, wanted to prove some Dementors and insane inmates did not scare them. Most regretted that choice sooner after.

"Are you certain you want to visit these prisoners, sir?" The guard sounded nervous. "Surely, the less notorious inmates - "

"Nonsense!" a voice, unfamiliar to Sirius, said. "I'm sure there is no danger. You're here, the Dementors are right outside if we need them, and you said the prisoners are both nutters and powerless to do anything but talk gibberish."

Sirius snorted. Whoever the visitor was, he was clearly an idiot, if he thought Bellatrix and their ilk were powerless. Even trapped inside their cells and less than lucid, they were dangerous - their insanity might even make them more so.

"Very well, Minister."

Sirius' eyebrows rose. So the visitor was the Minister of Magic himself. He knew the Minister of Magic was required to perform regular inspections of Azkaban, but they usually kept to the areas of the prison were the small-time crooks and lesser criminals were kept. Minister Bagnold had, for example, never visited this part of the prison during her tenure as Minister.

Sirius did not know why this new Minister, who must have been appointed sometime during the last few years, had decided he would. Perhaps he wanted to act like he was braver than his predecessors - a visit to the infamous high-level prisoners of Azkaban would surely impress the people he counted on to keep his coffers filled with Galleons.

Footsteps slowly approached. "This cell is empty," he heard the new Minister ask after awhile, coming to a stop in front of what must be the first few cells in the corridor.

"Ah, yes," the guard said. "As you know, this part of the prison is reserved for You-Know-Who's most trusted followers. We have not found anyone new to fill this cell - it used to belong to Bartemius Crouch Jr. But as I'm sure you know, he passed away less than a year after his imprisonment - it happens, sometimes, that the Dementors' presence gets to become too much."(6)

"Terrible story that," the Minister tutted. "And Bartemius' career was so promising...of course, if what happened with his son hadn't happened, I'm not so certain I would be Minister today!"(7) He chuckled. After a second or two, the guard joined in, his laughter sounding rather forced.

Sirius rolled his eyes. When he had heard of Crouch's fall from grace through whispered gossip between the guards, after his son was imprisoned for being a Death Eater, he had to admit he had felt gleeful. After all, he had been the one to decide to just throw him in here without a trial. The higher they rise, the harder they fall - Sirius hoped Crouch's fall had hurt.

The Minister and the prison guard continued. Sirius heard them stop outside Bellatrix' cell, and the cell of her husband and brother in law. Luckily, all three were asleep: Sirius was glad he did not have to listen to his cousin's screeching. The footsteps came closer, and Sirius found himself eye to eye with the new Minister, a portly little man with a ridiculous-looking bowler hat in lime-green on top of his head. Under his arm, he carried a newspaper. From the way the Minister's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, Sirius concluded the man had not expected him to be awake.

The Minister took an unconscious step back as Sirius gave him a rather feral-looking smile. "Good evening, Minister," he drawled with a bored tone and slowly got to his feet, yawning. His back cracked as he stretched out his arms above his head. "Or is it morning? I wouldn't know - it's quite difficult to tell."

"You said the prisoners were mad!" the Minister yelped to the guard who looked terrified.

"Y-yes, but Black here is a bit of an...exception." He noticeably winced.

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that," Sirius said and pressed himself against the bars. The Minister took another unconscious step back. "I think I'm a little mad, at least."

It looked as though the Minister was ready to bolt. "There's no danger, I assure you," the guard exclaimed. "He can't get out of his cell."

"Unfortunately." Sirius' grey eyes gleamed. "Tell me, what brings you about to my little corner of the world, Minister..." he trailed off, giving the Minister an expectant look.

"M-Minister Fudge," the Minister stammered.

"Minister Fudge..." Sirius licked himself around the lips, revelling in the way the portly man began to tremble. Perhaps the Marauder in him wasn't quite dead yet, after all... He hadn't had this much fun in years...he hadn't had this much fun since before he was imprisoned, in fact. "Fudge...it's among my favourite candy, you know? That sweet, rich taste combined with the smooth, creamy consistency against your tongue..."

Fudge let out a little whimper.

"Perhaps we should leave, Minister," the guard quickly interjected.

"Oh, please, don't leave yet. Have you finished with your newspaper?" Sirius stuck an arm out through the bars and Fudge jumped back as if he'd been struck, pressing himself against the opposite wall in near terror, his newspaper falling to the floor in the process. Sirius smiled innocently at him and he kneeled down and grabbed the newspaper through the bars of his cell and easily manoeuvred it inside. "I hope you don't mind if I take this - I miss doing the crossword."

Fudge gulped. "B-but you don't have a pen," he stammered.

"I don't need a pen." Sirius grinned and tapped the side of his head. "It's all about what's up here."

"W-well," Fudge gave the guard an uncertain sort of look. "I-if it's allowed - "

"He can keep it," the guard said, looking as though he wanted nothing better than to leave. "He's been given newspapers in the past, there's no danger. The worst he can do with it is give himself a paper cut. I believe it is time for us to leave, Minister - we've lingered here long enough."

The Minister blinked uncertainly, as though he'd forgotten the guard's presence for a moment. "Oh, yes, of course," he said and straightened his robes. "I do need to get back to the Ministry..."

Sirius threw the Minister a two-fingered salute. "Kudos to you, Minister Fudge. Do come visit again - it's been a real pleasure."

The Minister and the guard left and Sirius smiled in satisfaction as he curled up in a corner of his cell, wrapping his now rather ratty blanket around himself as he opened the _Daily Prophet. _The light was rather dim, but it was good enough to read in, though a Healer would probably not have recommended it. Sirius did not care; days in Azkaban went by in slow-motion and Sirius was willing to risk anything - including his eyesight - to break up the monotony. And news of the outside world was welcome - even though Sirius couldn't do anything about it, it helped him feel less disconnected from everything. In addition, the crossword would keep his brain entertained for at least a little while.

After he checked the date and realised he had spent nearly twelve years in Azkaban, Sirius slowly began to flicker through the pages, chuckling at some of the wittier Headlines and articles. That's when a moving picture caught his eye: even while in black and white, the Weasley family was unmistakable. He smiled as he realised they stood in front of a large pyramid, clearly on holiday - the Weasleys deserved all luck and happiness, he thought, remembering the deaths of Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Molly Weasley's brothers. His smile abruptly slipped from his face as he caught sight of a very familiar-looking rat resting on one of the Weasleys' shoulder. One of its front paws was missing a toe.

Sirius heart thundered in his chest as he pressed his face closer to the picture. He couldn't believe it. And yet, it was impossible to mistake the rat for anyone other than Peter Pettigrew...Wormtail. Suddenly, Sirius found himself filled with anger and a fervour that he thought he'd lost long ago, and the newspaper became a crumbled mess in his suddenly clenched fists. Peter had to pay for what he'd done...and Sirius would be the one who made it happen. Who would have thought Peter was hiding in plain sight? Ingenious, really... but then again, hadn't Peter already proved to be a lot smarter than the Marauders gave him credit for?

Sirius clenched his jaw. Wordlessly, he smoothed out the newspaper to read the article that accompanied the picture. His eyes widened and then narrowed into thin grey slits, the colour that of hard steel, as he realised Pettigrew would be at Hogwarts since he obviously belonged to the youngest son... That meant he would be close to _Harry, _capable of harming him...harming Lily and James' son...his _Godson._

With his lips pursed, Sirius ripped the picture out of the newspaper and put it inside his prison robes. He wouldn't give Wormtail the chance. Throwing the rest of the _Daily Prophet_ into the opposite corner, Sirius wrapped his blanket closer around himself and tried to get some sleep. If he was to escape Azkaban, he needed to be well-rested, especially as he would have to deliberately starve himself if he was to have any chance of slipping out...

When the guard came back to do a last check on the prisoners before the Dementors took over once more for the night-watch, he frowned as he heard muttered words coming from Sirius' cell. Slowly, he walked closer, putting his head against the bars. His blood froze as he heard the words leaving Sirius' lips, the convict's eyes flickering in restless sleep beneath his closed lids: "He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts."

The guard shuddered and stepped away from his cell, thoroughly unnerved, and he quickly left the corridor. Less than ten seconds later, the Dementors re-entered the corridor, and soon enough, Sirius was no longer the only prisoner moaning in his sleep as the Dementors' effect took hold, trapping them in disturbing dreams and memories.

* * *

**31 July**

"Good morning," Buffy placed a kiss on her husband's cheek as she sat down for breakfast, happily accepting the cup of coffee Remus passed to her without needing to ask. "Sarah isn't up yet?"

"Of course not," Remus said after swallowing a piece of toast. "Since when have you known our daughter to be a morning person?"

"Good point," Buffy said. "Do you have any job-interviews today?"

Remus' eyes darkened slightly at the reminder of his unemployed state. Lena Page had employed him at the library for longer than he had expected, sticking out her own neck for him when the Ministry made their displeasure known...but when a woman at the Ministry called Dolores Umbridge passed yet another anti-werewolf legislation a few weeks ago, it finally became too much. Lena was forced to let him go, or risk her own job. Remus couldn't blame her for firing him.

Unfortunately, the new legislation had not only forced him out of his old job - it also made it near impossible to find a new one. Remus had been job-hunting every day so far, with no luck. He had to find something soon - Remus hated that he couldn't do anything to help support their family. It made him feel useless, like a burden, a feeling Remus had thought he'd finally gotten rid of years ago when he and his 'inner-wolf' finally came to an agreement which made the transformations a lot more bearable.

"Not today," Remus said. "Oh, here's the _Daily Prophet._ If I'm lucky, there's a special wanted ad for werewolves on the front page," he added with a smirk as an owl flew in through the open window and dropped the newspaper on their table, trying to sound optimistic.

Buffy paid the owl and picked up the newspaper, abruptly paling as she caught sight of the front page, the heading practically screaming at her.

_SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES AZKABAN!_

Below the thick, black lettering was a picture, designed to look like a wanted poster, of Sirius, looking almost nothing like Buffy remembered him. Waxy skin was stretched out over a gaunt and thin face, which was surrounded by black hair in a matted tangle, and his eyes looked crazed.

"...Buffy? Buffy!" Buffy's head jerked up and she met Remus' worried eyes. "What's wrong?" her husband asked. "You just spaced out."

Buffy swallowed and shakily handed over the newspaper, unable to get out a word in response. When Remus caught sight of the picture, he notably stiffened, but otherwise showed no reaction. "Oh," was all he said.

"I can't believe he's out," Buffy finally said, her voice barely a weak whisper. "Why did he break out_ now?_ What's he after?"

Remus only shook his head, not answering, as he skimmed through the accompanying articles on Sirius' escape, trying to stay objective and pushing his personal feelings aside. "It says here he slipped out of his cell when he was being given food...they think he must have swum to the mainland - I have no idea how he had the strength to do that - because none of the boats were missing and the floo was undisturbed... But there's nothing about his motives. Not even the slightest bit of speculation, which is weird..."

Buffy gawked at him. "That's all you have to say?" Buffy could suddenly feel her eyes tear up. "A cold statement of what the _Daily Prophet _reports? Remus, he is our friend - "

Remus scrunched the newspaper together in his fist and slowly lowered it. _"Was_ our friend," he said slowly. "He _was _our friend, Buffy."

"I know," Buffy swallowed, looking down at the table. "I know he's not our friend anymore. I just...can't you have some sort of_ reaction?"_

"What do you want me to say?" Remus asked, sounding tired. "Sometimes words just aren't enough. Can't you already tell what I'm feeling?"

Buffy looked up, then, straight into her husband's eyes, and opened up the bond between them, wincing as all of Remus' feelings invaded her mind at once, stronger than they usually were: anger, regret, hate, sadness, horror, fear, relief - Buffy drew in a sharp breath as the connection was abruptly slammed closed.

"Relief?" she wondered out loud.

Remus looked away. "I hate him," he admitted. "I _despise _him and what he did, but...yes, I feel some relief. I don't know why, really - he doesn't deserve any such feeling from me - but maybe it's because we were friends for so long..." He shook his head. "Azkaban is an awful place. And even though what Sirius did was horrible, I suppose a part of me still don't want him to suffer." He laughed humourlessly. "What does that say about me, huh? He betrayed James and Lily to their deaths, he killed Peter and all those muggles, and I_ still _feel some sort of misplaced loyalty to him. It's sick, and for all these years, I've been trying to push it away, but I can't."

"Why did you never tell me?" Buffy whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"What good would that have done?" Remus asked, bitterly.

"I would have known I wasn't alone!" Buffy exclaimed, and Remus stared at her in shock. "That's right," Buffy said, correctly interpreting his look. "I feel the same way you do. I always have, and even now, a small part of me still don't want to think him guilty, even after Sirius confessed to me that he was! We could have dealt with it together..."

"For people who share an empathic bond, it seems we can be really oblivious to each other's feelings," Remus said quietly, his voice wry.

Buffy laughed weakly. "Yeah." She dried her tears. "So what happens now?"

"I don't know," Remus sighed. "We can't be certain Sirius won't come here - that he won't come after us. But...I think it's more likely he'll be after - "

" - Harry," Buffy said quietly.

"Yes," Remus said grimly. "Or a way to bring Voldemort back."

Buffy shuddered.

Just then, they heard the sound of a door slamming and they jumped. "Good morning!" they heard Sarah shout, and then, their daughter skipped into the kitchen, abruptly freezing as she caught sight of the looks on her parents' faces. "Jeez," she said. "Who died?"

* * *

**6 August**

Sirius knew he shouldn't be here. He knew he should focus all his attention on Wormtail, which meant he should head towards Ottery St. Catchpole and the Weasley family home, not Surrey and definitely not Little Whinging. But instinctual need had overtaken his common sense, and so, here he was, hoping to catch a glimpse of James' son...his Godson.

Right now, he was hiding underneath a bush as Padfoot, observing number 4, Privet Drive, from a distance. Some sort of commotion seemed to be going on inside... In his Animagus form, Sirius' hearing was a lot better, and he could hear yelling and the sound of another dog barking... Then, a few seconds later, the front door was wrenched open, and the boy Sirius had come to see stepped outside, his wand pointed at a huge obese man Sirius vaguely recalled as Vernon Dursley.

"...I've had enough." And then, the door was slammed closed and Harry was out on the street, heaving what looked to be a heavy trunk behind him, an empty owl's cage under his arm.(8) Merlin...he looked so much like James... Sirius looked at Harry as a starving man would, not taking his eyes off of him even as he retreated a bit further into the bushes. From inside the house, he could still hear a great deal of screaming...

His Godson was now headed away from his relatives' house, walking with quick, angry strides, and Sirius hurriedly followed, his paws making no sound as it hit the asphalt. When Harry reached Magnolia Crescent, he suddenly collapsed onto a low wall, panting heavily, his entire body trembling with rage.

Sirius who found a new hiding place in the shadows between the garage and the fence behind Harry, wanted to walk up to him, comfort him...but he held back. Just watching Harry had to be enough, he told himself. He could not allow himself to become even more distracted than he already was. He knew that if he walked up to Harry now, it was unlikely he would be able to tear himself away...

Harry suddenly seemed to stiffen and he looked up and down the street several times, shivering, with a worried expression on his face. The boy bit his lip, and then looked down at his wand. Sirius took a couple of steps forward as Harry suddenly opened his trunk and began to examine its contents. What was he doing? But then, he abruptly stiffened, and Sirius wondered if he'd somehow been discovered... But no, Harry bent over his trunk again, and Sirius allowed himself to relax. But then, Harry abruptly straightened once again, his wand tightly clenching his wand. His eyes narrowed and Sirius retreated backwards. But it was too late:

_"Lumos." _Harry raised his wand over his head and Sirius found himself suddenly blinded by the light that shone out of its tip. Sirius wondered what his Godson was thinking, doing magic outside of school while still in a muggle neighbourhood - but then, Harry stepped backwards and tripped over his trunk. Sirius felt guilty - had he frightened Harry? The wand accidentally flew out of Harry's hand and he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed in the gutter...

The dog's eyes widened and he quickly retreated backwards, further into the shadows when The Knight Bus suddenly appeared with a deafening BANG, right where Harry had been lying less than second ago.(9) Sirius inwardly shuddered. Harry could have been hit, and it would have been his fault... He knew he shouldn't have come here.

Harry seemed to be having a conversation of sorts with the conductor, and then, he pointed towards the gap where Sirius was hiding. "There was a big black thing," Sirius heard his Godson say and he retreated even further back. "Like a dog...but massive..."

The conversation seemed to go on for awhile, and then, Harry and his things were taken on the bus. Sirius dared to inch forwards again - and then, there was another loud BANG and the bus - and Harry disappeared. The street was empty.

A slight whine escaped Sirius' throat before he could stop it. He hadn't wanted Harry to go...and yet, it was for the best, wasn't it? He could be no part of Harry's life until the traitor had paid for what he did. New determination filled the convict's heart and he took off down the dark street.

While he had planned to try to intercept Peter at Ottery St. Catchpole and the Burrow before the rat could get to Hogwarts, Sirius now realised he might have a better chance of catching him at the school. Peter would doubtlessly have heard of his escape, and if he headed towards the Burrow now, Peter would surely be more than ready to run, while at Hogwarts, Peter might let his guard down some.

The castle was after all meant to be the safest place in Britain, and there would be a lot of people around, making it difficult for Sirius to sneak inside. But Sirius didn't mind if it took a little bit longer to get to Peter and could put his hands around his neck and wring it, nor did he mind the challenge it would be to get inside Hogwarts unseen.

Sirius broke out in a run, wishing he had a wand so he could apparate and get to Hogwarts quicker: there was a very long trek between here and Scotland... But, Sirius thought humourlessly, since he had spent the last twelve years in a small cell, he figured he could use the exercise.

* * *

**22 August**

There was a knock on the door, and before Remus or Buffy had gotten the chance to so much as stand up from where they sat on the living room sofa, watching a Star Wars movie, nostalgia gripping them both, Sarah had already flown out of her chair and was halfway to the outer door.

"I'll get it!"

Remus and Buffy exchanged worried looks, both unconsciously hoping and not hoping it was Sirius - their thoughts of him and his escape were still conflicted. But if it was Sirius, surely he wouldn't have knocked? Neither Buffy or Remus wanted to believe Sirius would ever harm their daughter, but since everything they had thought they knew about him had turned out to be wrong, it didn't hurt to be careful, just in case he _had _come knocking...

And Sarah was completely ignorant of the danger, since Remus and Buffy had agreed not to tell her anything. Oh, she knew of Sirius' escape, but she didn't know he used to be a friend of theirs... Whenever they told her stories of the Marauders, they always left him out or replaced him with someone else.

"Don't open that door, Sarah!" Remus warned, shouting, as he hurried after her.

Sarah gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

"Sarah, come here," Buffy said and moved Sarah to stand behind her, while Remus pulled out his wand and slowly opened the door, only to almost immediately lower it when he saw the identity of their visitor.

"Professor Dumbledore," Remus greeted tiredly.

"Remus. Buffy." The old Headmaster smiled. "May I come in?"

Wordlessly, Remus gestured for him to come inside, unsure of what he wanted, but guessing it probably had to do with Sirius or Voldemort. If it had been about Sarah's schooling, it was more likely Dumbledore would have sent McGonagall.

"Sarah, why don't you go up to your room?" Buffy suggested, but instead of obeying, Sarah walked straight up to Dumbledore and held out her hand.

"Hello. I'm Sarah. You must be Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts. I've got your Chocolate Frog card. And I must say, I'm really looking forward to my first year."

Dumbledore chuckled and shook her hand, while Remus threw his daughter a look of exasperation. "Well, aren't you a delight?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I'm very much looking forward to having you at my school... And I know I'm not supposed to be biased, but since the school year hasn't actually begun yet, I think it is safe for me to admit we could always use another Gryffindor." He winked.

"Thanks!" Sarah beamed. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your secrets. I'll figure them out sooner or later in any case." And with that, she left at a skipping pace, entering her room with a spring in her step.

"Your daughter certainly seems spirited," Dumbledore said as they moved towards the living room where Remus turned off the VHS player. "She's a credit to you both."

"Yes, well, Buffy has been more of an influence in her life than I have," Remus said, somewhat bitterly. The years he had missed out on in his daughter's life due to Buffy's involuntary absence while she was stuck in her old world still stung.

"Don't say that, Re," Buffy said. "Sarah adores you. Now, what can we do for you, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore gave her a small, rueful little smile. "There is no beating around the bush with you, is there, Miss Summers? Forgive me, Mrs Lupin. I am certain you have heard of Sirius' escape?"

Remus pursed his lips together. "Of course we have. Why do you think we were so wary when we opened the door?"

"Touché," Dumbledore inclined his head. "It has come to my attention that Sirius escaped for a reason. Harry."

"Of course he did," Buffy sighed tiredly and buried her head in her hands. "It was our first guess, you know. What we don't understand is why he chose to break out _now. _Why not years ago?"

"I don't claim to understand how Sirius Black's mind works," Dumbledore said. "But perhaps the Dementors befuddled his sense of time, and he did not realise how many years it had already been. Or perhaps something the guards or the other prisoners said made him decide now was the time to strike. We may never know. Either way, something must have set him off. What matters is that he_ is _out and on his way to Hogwarts - because that is where Mr Potter will be. And there is also where I need you to be, Remus," Dumbledore finished with a grave tone of voice, observing Remus over his half-moon spectacles.

Remus only stared at him. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he finally said, looking bewildered. "You need me to be at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I do believe you will stand a much larger chance of capturing Sirius than any of the staff. If there is anyone who can predict his moves and what he's thinking, it is you. And I don't trust the Dementors."

"Wait, _Dementors?"_ Buffy interrupted incredulously.

"Yes." Dumbledore pursed his lips together. "Cornelius Fudge has decided to station a large amount of Azkaban guards around Hogwarts in the hopes of recapturing Sirius. As Minister, he can, unfortunately do that, and nothing I said would deter him."

"Never mind the fact that Sirius obviously slipped past them once," Remus said. "And what about the_ students? _The Dementors will wreak havoc on their emotions."

"I am not happy about it," Dumbledore said shortly. "This is another reason why I need you at Hogwarts, Remus. It is about time the school gets a decent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor - "

" - Wait, wait," Remus interrupted with a nervous little laugh. "I'm certain I just misunderstood - surely you don't mean to hire me on as a _professor? _I thought you just meant for me to_ visit _sometimes, to check on all the passageways and maybe patrol the grounds and corridors at night._"_

"That would not be enough, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said. "Sirius is _determined,_ clever, and what's more, probably a little mad after all his years in Azkaban. I need you stationed at Hogwarts permanently until he is caught. Temporary visits would not suffice. I must admit I am surprised, Remus. I thought you would jump at this chance, especially since the new anti-werewolf legislation must make it difficult for you to find work."

Remus clenched his jaw, not wanting to admit that he didn't know what he would do if he came face to face with Sirius again - he did not want to admit that depending on_ a lot_ of things, he might let him run. Or he might just kill him before the Animagus got a chance to utter so much as a single word. Either way, Remus was pretty certain _recapture_ was at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do to Sirius.

"I must admit I am somewhat confused by your offer, Dumbledore," Buffy spoke up again. "You've made it clear you want us nowhere near Harry. But if you hire Remus as a professor, he will be in close contact with him."

"Circumstances change," Dumbledore said simply. "And as Harry has now been introduced to the wizarding world, I see no need to ban you from further contact. Of course, I must still insist you do not visit him at Privet Drive without my express permission. If there is too much of a magical presence there, what remains of Voldemort's followers may find him."

"We couldn't visit him there even if we wanted to, remember?" Remus said bitterly. "The ward the Ministry put up - "

"Ah..." Dumbledore looked rather ashamed for a moment. "That was a little white lie of mine, I'm afraid. There is no Ministry ward on the Dursley's property, just the blood-protection created by Lily's sacrifice, and some monitoring spells I put up myself. I knew if I didn't, nothing would have kept you away from Harry, no matter what I thought and said. I do apologise for deliberately deceiving you."

Remus stared at Dumbledore in disbelief, for a moment incapable of speech. "I - you - what - "

"You had no right to do that," Buffy said angrily. "Do you have any idea how _worried _we've been for Harry? How_ miserable _we've been because we had no way to contact him?"

"I'm not proud of what I did, but I believe it was necessary. Harry needed - "

" - A normal childhood, free from magic, we know," Buffy spat. "But that was your _opinion._ It wasn't your_ decision_ to make."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Remus said tiredly, interrupting before an argument could break out between his wife and the Headmaster. "What's done is done."

"Does that mean you will accept my offer, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course I will," Remus said, his shoulders slumped.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle anew. "I imagine your daughter will be quite happy to have you at Hogwarts with her - "

Buffy and Remus snorted in unison. "Hardly," Buffy said. "She's been saying how nice it will be to get away from us and 'practice her independence' all summer. She's going to throw a tantrum."

"I see." Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, that was really all I wanted, though there is, of course, the small matter of the full moon to resolve, Remus, to make sure there is no danger to the students. Have you heard of the Wolfsbane potion? I will ask Severus to brew it - "

" - That will not be necessary," Buffy interrupted firmly. "We heard about the Wolfsbane potion when it first came out but my sources at St. Mungo's told me that if you start taking it, and then stop, the consequences for the lycanthrope are not pretty. Besides, Remus has no need of it - he and his inner wolf have come to an agreement. He poses no danger, unless he is deliberately provoked."

Remus nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore frowned. "I see. Well, I'm afraid the staff, and myself, will need a little more assurance than that. I can't simply take your word for it, I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, we do," Buffy said, her voice deliberately sweet. "Just as we just learned not to take _your _word for anything," she added, reminding Dumbledore that she was still not happy about him keeping her and Remus away from Harry all these years by lying to them.

"I will floo home during the full moon," Remus decided. "That way, I won't be anywhere near the students when it occurs."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well." He stood up. "I will see you - and young Sarah, of course - in September, then, Remus. If you could ride in the Hogwarts Express with the students, I would be very grateful. We can't be certain that Sirius won't decide to try to attack the train."

"Wait," Buffy said, even as Remus nodded in agreement. "Tell us about Harry. How did he deal with being introduced to the wizarding world? What has his past two years of Hogwarts been like?"

Dumbledore's smile faltered. "That's a bit of a long story, I'm afraid..."

"We've got time," Buffy challenged.

Dumbledore sighed, and sat back down. "Let's just say Harry's life has been...interesting, to say the least..." Dumbledore proceeded to tell Remus and Buffy about Harry's first and second year. Remus and Buffy listened in both horror and fascination as the Headmaster explained about Quirinus Quirrell who took Voldemort's spirit with him to Hogwarts, riding on the back of his head. He explained how Voldemort had planned to create himself a new body by using the Philosopher's Stone which had been hidden at Hogwarts.

They listened as Dumbledore told them how Harry came to hear about the stone, and, at the end of the school year, tried to stop the stone from being stolen and came face to face with Voldemort.

"I can't believe he thought that was a good idea," Remus shook his head.

"It's what James would have done," Buffy muttered, "and probably Lily too, now that I think about it."

"And you as well," Remus teased, adding some much needed levity to the conversation.

Dumbledore smiled, and continued to describe how Harry had managed to stop Voldemort with his bare hands, killing Quirrell in the process, and forced his spirit to flee once again.

Buffy and Remus shuddered. "He shouldn't have had to go through that," Remus said grimly. "He was just a child...he's still just a child. Where were you? How could you not realise Quirrell was possessed?"

Dumbledore did not answer, and simply went on to tell them about Harry's second year and Tom Riddle's diary, the attacks on the students and how Harry found out he was a Parseltongue, in addition to the rumours running rampant about the Heir of Slytherin and Harry being a victim of the students' slander.

Finally, he told them how Harry at the end of the year put it all together: that Ginny Weasley had been possessed by Tom Riddle - Voldemort - and was behind the attacks, just because she did what most girls did and wrote in a diary. All she was guilty of was foolishness for not turning it in when it began to write back. He explained how Ginny's life-force had almost given the essence of Voldemort embedded in the diary nearly enough strength to come to life, when Harry had interceded and saved her life by thwarting him long enough for Dumbledore to arrive and destroy the diary.

Remus sighed, massaging his temples. "You're telling us that Harry has been a part of the wizarding world for less than two years, and already he has been put into two life and death situations..."

"It's like you said - Harry has a lot of his parents in him," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"But he clearly lacks Lily's common sense!" Buffy blurted out. "How did you punish him?"

Dumbledore's smile faltered. "Punish him?"

"Yes," Remus said firmly. "Surely you did not reward Harry for deliberately risking his own life? The situations you just described to us are things that an _adult_ should deal with, not a child."

Dumbledore said nothing.

"Oh, my God," Buffy groaned. "You _did_ reward him. How likely do you think it is that Harry will think twice before he does something equally stupid next time, since being suicidal now equals _praise_ in his mind! And praise is something I imagine he's had very little of while living at the Dursley's.

"If you _rewarded _Harry for risking his life, even if it was for noble reasons, that would have told Harry that his life is a small price to pay when weighed against the lives of other people," Remus said, shaking his head. "How could you not have realised this?"

Dumbledore still said nothing and Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Unless...you did realise it," she said slowly, understanding and horror dawning. "Come to think of it, you could have hidden the Philosopher's Stone anywhere. Hogwarts might be considered the safest place in Britain, but it is still a_ school _– you endangered not only Harry, but the entire castle."

"You must have known that the possibility of getting his hands on the Philosopher's Stone would be too tempting for Voldemort to ignore," Remus added, catching onto Buffy's thoughts. "Voldemort showing up was a near certainty. You _wanted_ him to show up."

"And you practically advertised where the stone was hidden," Buffy continued, becoming more worked up for every second. "I know you're getting on in age, Dumbledore, but even you must have realised that telling children a certain area is off-limits is like waving a red flag in front of bull. It's like you were _encouraging_ their curiosity, like you wanted them to investigate."

"And the protections were easy enough for three _first-years _to get through," Remus said, looking at Dumbledore with disgust. "You meant for Harry to succeed. You _wanted_ him to meet Voldemort at the end."

"You were_ testing _him," Buffy finished with an angry whisper. "Because of the prophecy."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Yes. But Harry getting hurt was never my intention." Remus and Buffy snorted in disbelief. "I never meant to be away from Hogwarts the night Voldemort broke through the protections. I planned to be right behind Harry when it happened, before he could be put in any danger. And what happened last year, with Ginny Weasley and the diary, I had no part in."

"That you had a part in what happened during Harry's first year is bad enough," Remus said. "What were you hoping to prove? That Harry has what it takes to defeat Voldemort for good when the time comes? That he is willing to give up his life for the _Greater Good _if it becomes necessary?"

"What happened during his first year proved to me Harry's inner strength and the purity of his heart," Dumbledore said quietly.

"In other words, both," Buffy said, shaking her head in disgust.

"It made him stronger."

"And only at the cost of what must have been the last of his innocence," Remus said.

"No," Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry is still innocent. He believes in the common goodness of people, still."

"When did you stop?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, I haven't," Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "I've simply become old enough to know that the amount of people who do good things for selfish reasons far outweigh those who do them simply because it's the _right thing_ to do. Harry is one of those few. As, I believe, are you, Mrs Lupin, Mr Lupin. Good afternoon to you."

Once Dumbledore was gone, Remus let out a deep sigh. "You can come out now, Sarah. We know you were listening."

There was a shuffling of footsteps and then Sarah appeared in the doorway, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping," she said. "But how else was I supposed to learn anything?"

"How much did you hear?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, everything," Sarah said airily. "Why didn't you tell me you used to be friends with Sirius Black? I can't believe you used to hang out with a criminal - that is so cool!"

"It's not cool at all, Sarah," Remus said. "It's not exactly something we like to advertise."

"And we didn't know then that Sirius was a bad person," Buffy continued. "And he wasn't always. None of us know exactly when he changed, but your dad is right. What happened to Sirius...what happened to our friendship...is not cool at all."

Sarah bit her lip. "Sorry."

"That's alright."

"Well, Harry sounds like fun," Sarah said with a grin.

Remus groaned. "I can already tell you will be like two pees in a pod. Please try not to feed off of each other's recklessness when you meet."

"I have no idea what you mean," Sarah said with blinking eyes. "I've always been an absolute angel." She pressed her palms together and affected an innocent look.

"Hah!" Buffy laughed and ruffled up Sarah's hair. "Angel or devil, it's time for bed."

"But we never finished Star Wars!" Sarah protested. "And we were just getting to the good parts! I love the scene where they almost die in the garbage compactor!"(10)

"We'll finish it tomorrow," Remus said.

Sarah sighed. "Fine. But we better watch Empire as well. _I love you,"_ she then exclaimed theatrically, her eyes filled with fake desperation.

_"I know," _Remus answered in a tone of voice slightly deeper than his normal one, his face expressionless, before he broke into a grin when Sarah let out a squeal of joy at her father for playing along with her.(11) "Don't forget to brush your teeth."

Sarah sighed. "Han Solo would never be such a bore," she exclaimed in mock-annoyance before she stalked off towards the bathroom.

"Well, Han Solo isn't your_ dad!"_ Remus shouted after her. "And you're not a princess of Alderaan either!"(12)

"Well, duh!" Sarah retorted, exiting the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. "That planet was blown to smithereens _a long time ago_ in a galaxy far, far away. Obviously, I'm _your _princess," she finished cheekily.(13)

"And your mother is my queen," Remus said, very well aware of the cheesiness and not caring at all as he waggled his eyebrows at Buffy. Buffy, who had been alternating between chuckling and rolling her eyes at her husband and daughter's theatrics, let out a snort and then grinned.

"And _that's _my exit," Sarah yelped, retreating back into the bathroom. "Do you have to be so sappy when I'm around to see it?" Remus and Buffy heard her complain.

"Parents' prerogative, _princess,"_(14) Buffy said with a smirk.

* * *

**Published: **01/03 -13

* * *

**A Note From the Author**

Welcome to the first part of the second part of Roads Travelled; _Road of Loyalty,_ which will cover Prisoner of Azkaban to Goblet of Fire. But don't worry! It won't be an obvious retelling. There's so many different perspectives to play with to make things new and interesting, not to mention many other moments I can/will add of and between my characters. Harry will obviously be a main character, but Remus, Buffy and Sirius are still very much in focus as well. The original three are older now while Harry is a teenager, and Sarah, Buffy and Remus' daughter, in that awkward growing up phase as a preteen. That keeps things fresh for me since it gives me new perspectives and experiences to build their personalities and interactions on!

The road goes ever on,  
Ida (ladyvisionary)

* * *

**Trivia**

(1). In canon, the Basilisk was behind the attacks which petrified the students. Here, with the Basilisk dead and another assailant, they are left badly injured. Also note the lack of an injured Mrs Norris - I imagine that a human assailant would focus on the Muggle-borns, especially as I imagine Mrs Norris and Nearly Headless Nick were petrified by mistake for being in the wrong place at the wrong time in canon.

(2). If you remember, back in Road of Sacrifice, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was sealed off for the students' safety after Buffy killed the Basilisk. But we all know what security is like at Hogwarts - Dumbledore thought simply telling the students to stay away from the third floor corridor would keep them away when the Philosopher's Stone was hidden there. In the case of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, I imagine a simple 'Out of Order' sign would suffice (and the sign is actually canon) in the staff's eyes, especially as no one has figured out how to get into the Chamber. And, Minister Bagnold simply said it was located in a room on the second floor, not that it was Myrtle's bathroom...

(3). In canon, Harry signed up for Care of Magical Creatures and Divination because it was the subjects Ron chose.

(4). With the Basilisk dead, the Chamber of Secrets was not opened this time around. As such, there was no need to tell Harry about it since there is no way to blame Hagrid's then friendship with Aragog for the attacks on the students, which were obviously made by a person, not a creature. Tom Riddle would have to come up with something other than the Chamber to tell Harry about.

(5). One of the few substances capable of destroying a Horcrux. Crabbe cast this in attempt to kill Harry and his friends in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and killed himself instead as he was incapable of controlling the ensuing magical inferno.

(6). We all know from Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire that Barty did not really die, but was instead smuggled out by his father, his mother replacing him in his cell with the help of Polyjuice. At this point in time, he is living hidden under his father's Imperius curse. Sirius shows no knowledge of this in canon so it can be assumed he did not know and that Barty's cell was not in Sirius' line of sight., In fact, I consider it unlikely Sirius' cell was in line of sight of anyone, since if it had been, his fellow prisoners would have reported him as an Animagus.

(7). Bartemius Croush Sr. was next in line to be Minister before he sentenced his own son to Azkaban for being a Death Eater.

(8). This is obviously straight from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry leaves Privet Drive after blowing up his aunt Marge with accidental magic.

(9). Also from Prisoner of Azkaban: Harry performs a Lumos spell when he thinks he sees something moving in the shadows, and then a pair of gleaming eyes... We know it's Sirius...Harry doesn't. And in his surprise, he accidentally summons the Knight Bus.

(10). In Star Wars: A New Hope, this occurs when the walls of the garbage compacter Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca have taken refuge in to escape the Stormtroopers start to close in.

(11). Empire refers to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back. The lines "I love you," "I know" that Sarah and Remus say are from when Leia Organa expresses her love for Han Solo right before he is about to be frozen in carbonite.

(12). Leia is the princess of Alderaan.

(13). Of course, Alderaan was blown to pieces by the Death Star in Star Wars: A New Hope. 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' is the opening text to every Star Wars movie.

(14). Coincidentally (or maybe not), the name Sarah means princess.


	2. Diagon Alley

DISCLAIMER  
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.

* * *

**24 August**

Sarah excitedly grabbed hold of Buffy's hand and led her through the entrance to Diagon Alley once her mother had opened it with her wand. "Come on! Ollivander waits for no one!"

Buffy laughed. "Ollivander waits for everyone, sweetie," she said. "There's no rush."

It had been years since she and Sarah was deposited back in the wizarding world, but the novelty still hadn't worn off for her daughter. Sarah still got just as excited every time she was taken to Diagon Alley. The only thing that could possible make this visit better for the eleven year old was if her dad had been able to come as well: Remus had been looking forward to purchasing Sarah's school things with her, but unfortunately, he was stuck making lesson plans. With less than two weeks' notice to get them done, Buffy wasn't surprised and she wondered why Dumbledore couldn't have approached them sooner - after all, Sirius' escape happened at the end of July.

"But I want my wand first!" Sarah said. "Or do we have to go to Gringotts?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I already have enough Galleons with me. But I was thinking we could get an ice-cream first?"

"Chocolate?" Sarah asked excitedly and Buffy's lips twitched. Her daughter had a lot in common with her dad and it had been a relief to Buffy that the two got along splendidly from the moment they first met, despite the fact that Remus had been absent for the first few years of Sarah's life.

"Sure," Buffy said, leading her towards _Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour._ Once they'd bought their ice creams (Sarah: triple chocolate with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles, Buffy: vanilla and chocolate with caramel sauce), they went to try and find a place in the Parlour's outdoor seating area, Sarah already licking at her cone. That's when Buffy froze as dark, extremely messy, hair sticking up in all directions caught her attention.

"Mum," Sarah tugged at her sleeve impatiently. "There's a free spot over there." She pointed at the opposite corner from where that messy haircut could be seen.

"That's a too big table for just the two of us," Buffy said, the excuse (rather lame, she thought) leaving her lips easily. "We'd just steal space from those who need it. Let's go sit with him instead." As if in a daze, she began to walk towards the James Potter look-alike.

"He doesn't look like he wants to be disturbed," Sarah pointed out hesitantly as they approached. And he didn't - the table was covered in parchment with the corners weighed down by books so it wouldn't blow away, and the boy was scribbling away at the pages, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Occasionally, he would turn his head to consult one of his textbooks, or dip the quill anew into the inkpot next to him.

Buffy ignored her. She was now standing right in the way of the boy's light, Sarah hovering hesitantly behind her.

"I don't need any more sundaes, Florean," the boy said without looking up from the parchment he was writing on. "I'm really full, but thanks for offering."(1)

"Umm..." Buffy began slowly and the boy's head snapped up, his face colouring as he realised it was not the owner of the Parlour standing there. Green eyes, so familiar to Buffy, looked up at her, and for a moment, Buffy lost the ability to breathe._ 'Lily...'_

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed and then began to look around the outdoor area to see if it was full. "Do you need my table? I can move!"

"No, there's no need to get up," Buffy assured him, giving him a slight smile. "We can share, if that's alright?"

"I'm Sarah," Sarah piped up from behind her. "Who are you?"

The boy gave her a slightly weird look for a moment, but then, that look turned into relief and he gave her a crooked grin. Again, Buffy lost her ability to breathe - the familiarity of that smile was so wonderful and so painful all at once... _'James...' _"I'm Harry Potter."

Sarah's eyes widened as she sat down in one of the free chairs by Harry's table. "Are you really?" she exclaimed, the stories of Harry's adventures that she'd overheard Dumbledore tell her parents coming to mind, as well as the stories her mother, and sometimes her father, had told her about their friends and their son.

Harry's smile noticeably turned a little strained. "I guess you've read about me."

"No, she hasn't," Buffy assured him, finally snapping out of her daze and taking her seat, holding out her free hand for Harry to shake. "I've told her about you. Or rather, I've told her a bit about your parents. They were two of my best friends. I'm Buffy Lupin."

Harry's eyes widened and his entire face seemed to light up with hope and excitement. Buffy felt a pang of sadness. How starved must Harry be for knowledge and stories about his parents, if his face lit up like that at the mere mention of them? "You knew my mum and dad?"

Buffy nodded. "I did indeed. So did my husband. We were in the same year at Hogwarts, and we were both part of your parents wedding - I was your mother's maid of honour - and we were there when you were born."

"Really?" Harry sounded wistful. "Were you one of the people who sent stuff for the photo album Hagrid gave me at the end of my first year?"(2)

Buffy grinned. "I was, yes, and so was my husband. Did you like the pictures?"

"I love them!" Harry exclaimed. "They're among my most treasured possessions."

"I'm glad you like them," Buffy said, and then gave him a searching look. "Hey, have you bought your school supplies yet?" she wondered. "Because it's Sarah's first year at Hogwarts this year so we're buying all her stuff today, and if you want, you can come along with us? And I could tell you some stuff about your parents if you want?"

Harry gawked, and looked as though he couldn't believe they would willingly spend time with him and offer such information so freely. "Yes, I-I'd love to," he stammered. "But I need to go to Gringotts first," he added hesitantly.

"That's alright - I'm guessing you don't need a new wand, so how about Sarah and I go to Ollivanders while you're at the bank, and then we can meet up outside the Apothecary?"

"That would be great," Harry said. "I-I'll see you later then?" he added cautiously, as though he was afraid Buffy would change her mind.

"See you," Buffy winked, finished the last of her ice cream and ruffled up Harry's hair - ignoring his protests - before she and Sarah left, Sarah waving happily at Harry.

"He seemed nice, mum," Sarah said, grabbing Buffy's hand and swinging it back and forth as they went to Ollivanders.

"He did, didn't he?" Buffy answered with a smile. "I hope you don't mind I invited him along, Sarah - "

" - No, it's fine," Sarah told her mother. "Like I said, he seemed nice, and you've told me so many stories about what his parents were like that I already feel as though he's somewhat family."

Buffy gave her a proud grin as she opened the door to Ollivander's."I'm so glad to hear you say that."

"Buffy Summers, holly, ten inches, with a single hair from a very special werewolf," Ollivander's soft voice could be heard saying. Just like the first time she set eyes on the wandmaker, the hairs on the back of Buffy's neck rose slightly. "But...ah...it is Buffy Lupin now. I trust your wand still serves you well?" Ollivander's eerie moon-like eyes narrowed slightly. "It has been through many journeys...long journeys."

Buffy shivered slightly. "Yes, it works perfectly, thank you," she said, and then pushed Sarah forwards slightly. "My daughter needs a wand." Sarah smiled nervously.

"Hmm...yes, yes, of course. Which one is your wand-arm?"

"Umm...my right," Sarah answered, wrinkling her nose slightly as a measuring tape magically began to measure her limbs, while Mr Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," the wandmaker suddenly said, and the tape measure fell to the floor in a heap. "Try this one," he said. "Holly, eight and a half inches, unicorn hair, flexible." Obligingly, Sarah took the wand and waved it in the air a couple of times. Mr Ollivander frowned and took it from her, handing her another one. "Cypress, ten inches, dragon heartstring, rigid..."

And on and on it went, with Sarah trying wand after wand. Sarah was beginning to get rather frustrated, and from the way her mother was looking at her wand, it was clear she feared Harry was already waiting for them. "...Ebony and Rowan, eight inches, phoenix feather, springy..." Sarah was waving wand after wand automatically now as she was given them, not really listening to its properties. "...Ash and Red Oak(3), nine and a half inches, a single hair from a unicorn,(4) swishy..." Sarah gasped as she felt a sudden warmth in her fingers that travelled up her arm, and when she waved it, white sparks flew shot out of its end, illuminating the room with shimmer light.

"Oh, excellent! I do believe we've found your match at last!" Ollivander sounded pleased.

Sarah grinned.

* * *

"We're so sorry we're late!" Buffy panted as she and Sarah reached Harry - who was not standing outside the Apothecary, but in front of the window display to Q_uality Quidditch Supplies _instead_,_ which was almost right next door. "But it took awhile to find the right wand for Sarah..."

"I figured it was something like that," Harry said with a slight grin. "It took a long time to find the right wand for me as well. Don't worry about it - the Firebolt kept me company." He nodded towards the display window.

"The Firebolt? Is that new broom?" Buffy asked questioningly as she turned to look at the broomstick. Her eyes widened almost comically as she saw the description. "Ooh. That's certainly something..." she breathed out, in awe.

"Do you fly, Mrs Lupin?" Harry asked, surprised she seemed so excited about a broom.

"Oh, I was a reserve on your father's Quidditch team, and I got to play in the final match we had against Ravenclaw," Buffy said. "But I only have a Cleansweep 4, which is ancient compared to the brooms out on the market now, though it was respectable enough back then, I suppose. And please, call me Buffy." She glanced back down on the description tag for the Firebolt. "Price on request. Well, even without asking, I know that puts it waaaay out of my price-range," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Mine too," Harry said. "But I certainly want it. I come by almost every day just to look at it..."

"Drool over it, you mean," Sarah said teasingly.

"I'm manly enough to admit it," Harry said with a grave nod which made both Sarah and Buffy laugh.

"Your dad would have loved this broom," Buffy told Harry. "He was obsessed with Quidditch and flying..." She shook her head. "Well, let's head to the Apothecary and get our actual errands done before we get stuck staring at a broom none of us can afford."

"Can I have a broom of my own, mum?" Sarah wondered. "Not a Firebolt, obviously, but a broom good enough to play Quidditch with?"

"Not this year," Buffy said as they reached the Apothecary and stepped into the smelly store. "Maybe next year, if you get good enough grades."

Sarah groaned. "Blackmail."

"I call it incentive," Buffy smirked.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Sarah's disgruntled expression, and inwardly wondered what it would be like to have parents, or a sibling...a family. The Weasleys had treated him like one of their own during his visit to their house last summer, but it wasn't the same... He had still felt like a guest. But here, with Sarah and her mother, he already felt at ease, even though they'd just met and were only out shopping together. Was it because of Mrs Lupin's - Buffy's, he inwardly corrected himself - connection to his parents? Inwardly, he swore he would keep an eye out for Sarah once she arrived at Hogwarts, even if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor.

"What do you need, Harry?" Sarah asked, craning her neck to get a look at everything inside the Apothecary.

"Oh, almost a little bit of everything," Harry said. "I need to replenish my store of potions ingredients. What about you?"

"A basic kit. Mum's getting it all," Sarah said, gesturing towards Buffy who was conversing with the man behind the counter.

"Sarah." Buffy suddenly turned around and handed Sarah a few galleons. "Why don't you go buy yourself a Pewter cauldron, standard size 2?_ Potage's Cauldron Shop_(5) is right outside. You can't miss it. Don't go anywhere else," she then admonished.

Sarah grinned brightly. "I won't! See you in awhile, Harry." She happily skipped out of the store, happy to escape the smell of rotten eggs and cabbages.

Like Sarah had promised, she didn't go anywhere else after she bought her cauldron, and once they were done inside the Apothecary, they headed to _Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment_(6) to get phials and brass scales for Sarah, and then _Scribbulus Everchanging Inks,_ to get writing supplies for all of them. After that, they headed _Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ together to buy a full uniform set for Sarah, and new school robes for Harry who had outgrown his.

Once Sarah and Harry were done being outfitted, and Madam Malkin's was ringing up their respective purchases, Buffy took a long good look at the clothes Harry was wearing. The fashionista in her immediately realised he was dressed in clothes that were far too big for him and looked like they belonged to a small whale rather than Harry. "Harry, I don't mean to meddle, but are those the best clothes you've got for everyday use?"

Harry flushed a deep red. "They're Dudley's old cast-offs," he muttered and looked down at his feet. "It doesn't matter," he hurriedly added. "We wear our uniform at school all the time anyway so it's not like anybody usually notices..."

"Like I said, I don't mean to meddle," Buffy said gently, "but you deserve to be dressed in clothes that fit you _all the time _and that aren't robes. They can be quite encumbering at times." Harry frowned, which Buffy took to mean that he was thinking about what she was saying. "If we have time once we're done in Diagon Alley, I'll take you to muggle London, how does that sound?" Buffy asked, knowing the trust vault Lily and James had set up for Harry should contain more than enough money to buy him some real clothes.

"Sarah needs more muggle clothes anyway, so it's not like you would impose..."

"Alright," Harry said quietly after a few seconds of silence. "Thanks."

"No problem," Buffy said as she paid for Sarah's purchases. "Sarah, put that down," she then told her daughter, who was messing around with a ridiculous looking hat.

Sarah pouted. "Can't I buy it? It's kind of pretty. I like the sequins."

Harry and Buffy shuddered as one. "It looks like something Gilderoy Lockhart would wear," they chorused, and then gave each other surprised looks.

"Not a fan, huh?" Buffy asked Harry, amused. She wasn't a fan of Gilderoy Lockart either, nor was Remus or Sarah: his books were laughable at best, and straight out distasteful and preposterous at worst, and they all found _Wandering With Werewolves _particularly offensive.

"Really, really not," Harry said while paying Madam Malkin.

Sarah pouted but put down the hat. "Maybe it is a little silly," she admitted while stroking the large peacock feather sticking up in the back.

"She did _not_ get her fashion sense from me," Buffy mock-whispered at Harry who snorted.

Sarah sniffed, having heard Buffy's comment. "You just have no appreciation for flare and drama," she said theatrically before she stalked out of the store, for a moment reminding Buffy seriously of a young Cordelia Chase - the seer's keen sense of fashion excluded.

Laughing, Harry and Buffy followed the eleven year old out of the store. Once outside, it was clear Sarah carried no real anger as she turned to them both with a wide grin. "Are we going to the bookstore now?"

"Yes," Buffy said, smiling. Like Remus, Sarah too enjoyed books a great deal - but unlike Remus, she preferred books for fun, not learning. As such, Buffy had a feeling her daughter would spend a lot of time in the belles-lettres & fiction-section of _Flourish & Blotts, _while Buffy looked through the nonfiction area in search of the literary works Remus had asked her to buy.

"Excellent! Dad's _Flourish & Blotts_ newsletter said the sequel to _The Glasstower_(7) is out today. And there's this new author I want to check out too."

"As long as you don't forget the books you actually need for school," Buffy said, amused, "you may look through as many books as you want. But - " she added when she saw Sarah's thrilled look, "you can't_ buy_ more than three books that aren't for school all together. But feel free to put some on your wish list for Christmas," she added as she saw Sarah's expression fall.

"Oh, I suppose that's alright," Sarah grumbled, walking ahead of them towards the bookstore.

"Her father is obsessed with books too," Buffy revealed to Harry once Sarah was out of earshot. "He absolutely loves them, but he prefers to read nonfiction."

"He's like Hermione, then," Harry said. "She's one of my best friends," he added at Buffy's questioning looks. "Her favourite book is _Hogwarts, A History."_

"Oh, your mother loved that book too!" Buffy told him. "In fact, Lily loved to read and learn new things."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yep. She graduated with Outstandings in all subjects. Your father's grades were also excellent, but he barely needed to study to learn." Buffy shook her head, her lips twitching. "Right before our N.E.W.T.s. most of us, your mother included, were in full panic, but your dad was cool as a cucumber - and more than happy to mock the rest of us for our lack of calm."

Harry laughed, though he inwardly felt an uncomfortable twinge. The way Buffy described his parents, it sounded as if they'd both been really brilliant and intelligent, and Harry, in comparison, didn't feel as if he could live up to that - at all. He usually slacked off studying and did his homework at the last second...and unlike the way Buffy described his dad, Harry didn't feel like he could learn everything quickly. If they'd still been alive, would they be disappointed in him?

As if knowing what he was thinking, Buffy put an arm around him. "Don't worry if you feel you're not like them," she said. "Welcome to race: normal. Believe me, I'm far from a natural genius, and not everyone is meant to be. Be proud of who you are, Harry."

Harry threw her a grateful look. Buffy frowned slightly when she saw Sarah had stopped outside _Flourish & Blotts_ rather than immediately head inside, like she'd expected. Her daughter was staring at the bookshop window, her jaw open. This became explained, however, once she and Harry joined her. They all stared at the large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of books that were literally trying to rip each other apart. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.

"Oh, that's too funny," Buffy snorted, while Harry pulled out his booklist.

"It's apparently the required book for Care of Magical Creatures," Harry said. "I got one from Hagrid as a birthday present."

"They're kind of barbaric," Sarah mused, while staring at the display in fascination.

"Let's go inside," Buffy said. "And no, Sarah, I'm not letting you buy one of those. It looks like an ex of that book is more likely to kill our book-collection rather than add to it."

"I wasn't going to ask!" Sarah protested, her innocent expression fooling no one. Once inside the store, Sarah quickly disappeared between the shelves for fiction, while Buffy consulted her daughter's booklist for the literature she would actually need: she knew her daughter well enough to realise she would forget to pick them up herself.

A couple of seconds later, the managed approached them, looking extremely harried. "Hogwarts?" he asked abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"

Harry blinked, feeling slightly taken aback. "Yes, I need — "

"Get out of the way." The manager brushed Harry aside, and put on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and headed towards the door of the Monster Books' cage. The expression on his face was very telling - it looked as though he was approaching Mount Doom(8), Buffy thought with a giggle.

"Hang on," Harry said quickly. "I've already got one of those."

"Have you?" A look of enormous relief appeared on the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning - " A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart. "Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the _Invisible Book of Invisibility _- cost a fortune, and we never found them…" Buffy only barely repressed her laughter. "Well… is there anything else I can help you with?" the manager asked, forcing a more pleasant expression onto his face.

"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist. "I need _Numerology and Gramatica."_(9)

"Ah, starting Arithmancy, are you?" the manager asked as he stripped of his gloves and led Harry towards a section of the shop devoted to Arithmancy, while Buffy headed off in the opposite direction to find the books she needed. "Good choice - a great deal more reliable than Divination, with several applications in other fields as well. Here you go," he added, pressing the textbook into Harry's hand.

"Thanks. I also need _Intermediate Transfiguration _and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three..._"

"Are you done?" Buffy asked once Harry returned to the front of the store, carrying his new books. Except for a pile of books that Harry recognised as first-year textbooks for Sarah, Harry saw Buffy was carrying four books of her own, all non-fiction covering various fields - three of them were Defence texts, and the last was called_ The Healer's Helpmate._(10)

"Are all those books for your husband?" Harry asked curiously.

"The Defence texts are - _The Healer's Helpmate_ is for me: I already had a copy, but this is an updated version published recently. Since I work at St. Mungo's, it's important for me to know about all medical advancements that are being made, and books tend to be more summarised than the medi-journals I subscribe to."

"What's St. Mungo's?" Harry asked.

Buffy blinked at him. _"__St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries,"_ she she had returned to the Wizarding World, she had been re-employed, this time as a full-fledged Healer, albeit part-time at first. Now, however, she worked there full-time, part of the regular staff for Creature-Induced injuries. "It's the largest wizarding hospital in Britain...you've never heard of it?"

Harry shook his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was yet another thing in the wizarding world he was completely ignorant about, he supposed. He wondered if he would ever learn everything everyone else already seemed to know.

"Huh. Oh, well, I suppose it's a good thing you've never had to go there...except that you have, you know," Buffy said. "You were born there, and I know you had a couple of check-ups there afterwards as well."

"Oh."

"Hey, are we ready to go?" Sarah approached and Harry literally gawked at her as he saw the pile she was carrying: it reached her nose, her eyes barely visible over the cover of the book at the top.

Buffy rubbed her nose tiredly. "You do remember I said_ three_ books, right?"

"Well, yes," Sarah's voice sounded sheepish, even though neither Buffy nor Harry could actually see her expression. "But then I remembered that I'm going to be at Hogwarts for a whole year! Three books will barely last me until Halloween, and that's if I read really slowly! Which I don't!"

Buffy rolled her eyes skywards. "I've got to teach you budgeting," she muttered.

"If these were shoeboxes, you wouldn't be saying anything!" Sarah said and Harry coughed to hide a laugh when Buffy began to blush. "And books are cheaper than shoes! So really, I am _saving_ money!"

Buffy threw Sarah an exasperated look. "But we're not talking about you buying books _instead_ of shoes, little lady," she said. "You put those back. You can keep four."

_"Four?"_ Sarah whined.

"That's still one more than we originally agreed upon," Buffy said. "And you do know Hogwarts has a library, right?"

"Full of_ textbooks,_ I'm sure," Sarah muttered, but nonetheless sighed. "Alright. Grab the books I have at the top and help me put them back. I knew you'd never let me buy so many so I _thoughtfully_ arranged them in the order I wanted them, with the ones I want most at the bottom."

"How proactive of you," Buffy said dryly as she began to remove book after book from Sarah's pile.

"I'll just go pay for my stuff while you do that," Harry said, sniggering. Sarah Lupin was certainly quite a character - and so was her mother. Their chemistry was very different from that between the members of the Weasley family - not better or worse, just different, and he was looking forward to getting to know them better. Harry hoped they wanted to stay in touch after today - and not just because he'd learnt more about his parents in a few hours than in the two years since he started Hogwarts, but because they were genuinely fun company.

* * *

Harry rarely got to come with his relatives when they were in muggle London to shop, so to be there with people who actually cared about him as well was quite an experience for Harry. Buffy took him to Oxford Street, bustling with life and people, and ushered him and Sarah into three different places to shop for clothes: _Debenhams, River Island_ and _Selfridges._(11) The department stores were easily the biggest Harry had ever been in and he felt completely overwhelmed by the gigantic clothing selection and he more than happily let Buffy pick out clothes for him.

Together, the two Lupin females went completely mad when it came to picking out his clothes for him, sending him in and out of dressing rooms and treating him a lot like a dress up mannequin. Though Harry inwardly vowed to never give a woman 'free reign' again for his sanity's sake, he couldn't regret he'd done so this time, and he actually had kind of fun. By the end of the shopping round, Harry had a completely new wardrobe that actually fit him, including shoes, and he was reluctantly forced to conclude that the torture to get there had been worth it.

"That was fun!" Sarah exclaimed once they returned to Charing Cross Road and the Leaky Cauldron, Harry to go back to his room, and Sarah and Buffy to floo back home. Harry only let out a weak grunt. His feet hurt and he couldn't understand how both Sarah and Buffy looked as though they had energy left to spare. Sarah gave Harry a hug. "I'll see you on September the first," she said. "Save me a seat at the Hogwarts Express if you get to King's Cross before me!"

Harry gave her a crooked grin. "I will." He then glanced up somewhat awkwardly at Buffy, who held out her arms.

"Come here," she said, and then gave Harry a tight hug that somehow felt a lot more comfortable and right than Mrs Weasley's ever had. "I want you to keep in touch, Harry," she said. "Write to me - I can't write to you unless you write to me first because of the mail ward around you, so write to me."

Harry frowned. "What mail ward?"

"Didn't you ever wonder why you've never gotten any fan mail for vanquishing Voldemort?" Buffy asked, not noticing Harry's surprise that she said Voldemort's name rather than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or some other placeholder name. "It's because there's a ward around you that keeps mail from getting through, unless it's official notices from Gringotts, the Ministry, Hogwarts and the like, and mail from people you've written to yourself or regularly spend a lot of time with."

"I didn't know that..." Harry bit his lip. "But I guess the mail ward is a good thing - I don't want any fan mail."

Buffy laughed. "Understandable. Now, don't get into too much trouble at school and look after this one here," she gestured at Sarah. "Trouble is her second name."

"Actually, it's_ Joan," _Sarah said, wrinkling her nose.

"Joan is a _perfectly_ respectable name and I _still_ don't understand what you have against it!"(12) Buffy said with an exasperated look, which told an amused Harry this wasn't the first time they'd had this particular disagreement. Buffy turned back to Harry. "Also, my husband, Remus, who I already told you knew your parents as well, is going to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, so feel free to turn to him if you have any questions."

Harry gave Buffy a startled look, and then, a thoughtful one. He hadn't had very good luck with Defence professors, and he couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious now... But if he was married to Buffy and had known his parents, he couldn't possibly be bad. "Alright, I will."

"I still don't understand why dad had to say yes when Dumbledore asked," Sarah muttered. "It's going to be so _uncool_ to have my dad as my professor..."

"You know your dad has always wanted to teach," Buffy told Sarah. "And I'll have you know, professor or not, your dad is not _uncool_ in the least - minus his insistence to wear cardigans more often than I find fashionable _- _and once homesickness sets in, I bet you'll be glad he's there."

"I'm not going to get homesick," Sarah sing-songed.

"Do you want to bet on that?" Buffy said, a twinkle in her eye. "Bye, Harry," she then said, giving Harry another hug, while Sarah exclaimed: "You bet I want to bet on that!"

"Bye," Harry said, waving at them both as he walked up the stairs to his room. The last thing he heard before he closed his door was Buffy and Sarah loudly, but playfully, arguing over the terms of the bet they'd just agreed upon. Harry shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. They were certainly something...and if Remus Lupin was anything like them, he had to agree with Buffy - he couldn't possibly be uncool.

* * *

"Hey," Remus looked up from the lesson plans he was working on when the fireplace flared up and Sarah came stumbling through, carrying two large shopping bags. "Did you and your mother have fun?"

"I did," Sarah said, just as the fireplace flared up again, and Buffy stepped through, carrying several large bags of her own. "And you better not be uncool at Hogwarts or I'll be a _total outcast," _she continued somewhat dramatically. "And don't be _too cool_ either, because that will only lead to crushes and listening to my new classmates go on and on about how hot and awesome my dad is, is not something I want to suffer through." Remus felt completely bemused. Behind Sarah, Buffy's lips were twitching. "And mum is right - you _do _wear cardigans too often," Sarah added, before she left, heading towards her room.

Remus gave Buffy a baffled look. "I don't know how to interpret that."

Buffy patted his back and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Just go with the flow, honey."

"At least she thinks there's something potentially 'crush-worthy' about me," Remus said, grinning ruefully.

"Of course there is. You're hotness personified."

"You're married to me," Remus said dryly. "You have to think that."

"That doesn't mean I'm wrong," Buffy sat as she put down the shopping bags. "Though fewer cardigans would only aid you in your quest to grab the number one spot at the 'hottest professor at Hogwarts rooster.'"

Remus gawked at her. "There's no such thing, is there?" he asked, horrified. "...Do you and Sarah really think I wear cardigans too often?" he then added, somewhat morosely, before Buffy got the chance to answer.

"Shirts are your friend," Buffy advised sagely. "And you look really smexy in polo necks."

"What on earth is _smexy?" _Remus wondered.

"Smart and sexy, of course," Buffy said with a grin, climbing onto his lap and wrapping her arms around him.

Remus let an eyebrow rise. "Really?"

"Of course. And did you know your eyebrow thing drives me crazy?" Buffy asked, wiggling her own eyebrows and leaning in for a kiss.

Remus blinked, and then let his other eyebrow rise. "It does, huh?"

"Totally," Buffy breathed and slowly began to unbutton Remus' cardigan.

"Mum, dad, I'm hungry, when are we having - oh, my God, my eyes!" Sarah exclaimed and Buffy reluctantly pulled away and adjusted Remus' clothes. Remus' face went beetred as Sarah covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell me you were about to do what I think you were about to do? _Yuck!"_

"Alright, I won't tell you," Buffy said, amused. "And stop being so dramatic - we're both fully dressed."

_"For now,"_ Sarah mumbled, peeking out between her fingers, slowly lowering her hands. "You do know things like that are what scars children for life, right?"

"How do you even know about _things like that?"_ Remus wondered with a frown, hoping Sarah had no clue about the birds and bees and having been rather happy in his ignorance. "You're eleven!"

"I_ read,"_ Sarah deadpanned.

Remus stared. "Read _what,_ exactly? Now I have this inexplicable urge to go inspect your book collection..."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Re," Buffy comforted. "No matter how much Sarah thinks she knows, I won't consider her correctly educated in such matters until she gets _the talk _and I'm more than happy to leave that to you. It's about time she gets it anyway." She grabbed the shopping bags still discarded on the floor. "Have fun!" She left the room, leaving Remus and Sarah staring at each other in identical horror.

* * *

"You are an evil, evil, woman," Remus said when he went to bed that night, climbing in beside Buffy. "I think I may have traumatised Sarah,_ and_ she is going to _despise_ me for what I just put her through."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Buffy giggled. "She will not! She loves you." She sighed, the amusement fading from her voice. "I forgot to tell you something that happened in Diagon Alley today."

"Hmm...what?" Remus mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

"Sarah and I met Harry."

Remus abruptly sat up, suddenly wide-awake. "You did?"

Buffy nodded. "Apparently, he lives at the Leaky Cauldron - I don't know how long he's been there, but quite awhile, I think. And you should have seen the clothes he was wearing before Sarah and I convinced him to go with us to muggle London to shop. His relatives can't be treating him well."

Remus pursed his lips together, a frown on his face. "Do you think he's being abused?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not physically, I don't think. But verbally abused and neglected? Almost definitely. The expression on his face when I asked if he wanted to accompany me and Sarah on our shopping round was heartbreaking, Re: so hopeful and yet full of disbelief, as though he couldn't believe we wanted him to come with us. He's starved for affection, and I don't think he knows very much about Lily and James at all either."

"I curse Dumbledore everyday for leaving Harry with Lily's sister," Remus said, shaking his head. "And I curse myself for not being able to do anything about it."

Buffy sat up and leaned her head against Remus' back. "It's not your fault. And I've met him now, and he promised to keep in touch - and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Harry approaches you at Hogwarts outside of your lessons. We can't make up for years of absence, but we can make sure we are there for him now."

"And we will be," Remus said, sounding determined.

* * *

**31 August**

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched his staff members file in, one after the other, and settled down in the old, mismatched chairs inside the staff room, gathered for the meeting they always had right before a new term begun. "Now that we're all here," he began, "let's get down to business. As you all know, Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban and is believed to be heading towards Hogwarts. Because of this, certain...security measures have been put in place. Dementors from Azkaban will be patrolling the entrances to the grounds - "

" - I thought you were going to tell the Ministry you did not want them at the school, Albus?" Filius Flitwick piped up.

"I did, several times, in fact, Filius, but I was overruled," Dumbledore said.

McGonagall snorted. "Well, I suppose hell will freeze over the day Minister Fudge sees sense. He was a blubbering fool as a student and he is no better now."

"Now, that is quite harsh, Minerva," Dumbledore admonished, though his lips were twitching. "At least I managed to gain assurance that the Dementors would stay out of the actual grounds, since their presence there would, in fact, endanger the students rather than protect them. I suggest you all practise your Patronus charms, and Poppy, you better make sure we are fully stocked on chocolate."

"Of course," Poppy Pomfrey, the Hogwarts school matron, nodded.

"Hagrid, how are your lesson plans coming along?" Dumbledore next turned to the gentle half-giant, who would take over professor Kettleburn's position as professor of Care of Magical Creatures. "I found the book you chose for the booklist was quite amusing."

Hagrid coloured. "Oh, thank yeh, Headmaster. I was goin' ter show the third years a Hippogriff for their firs' lesson."

"I'm sure that will be very interesting for them, Hagrid," Dumbledore said with a slight nod.

"Are you quite certain a Hippogriff is the right creature to start off a beginner's lesson with?" Snape drawled. "Perhaps something less dangerous would be more appropriate."

"Hippogriffs aren't dangerous!" Hagrid said. "It's a beau'iful animal, and Buckbeak wouldn' harm a fly."

"I'm sure you're right, Hagrid, and I am convinced you will be a fine professor," Dumbledore interceded to stave off any argument: from the smirk on the Potion's Master's face, it was clear Severus had a both scathing and sarcastic retort on his tongue.

"It was about time Silvanus retired, Merlin bless his remaining limbs,"(13) Poppy said.

"Agreed," McGonagall said. "Now, Albus, don't you think it's time you told us who you hired as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and why he or she is not here now? Term starts tomorrow. I surely hope you have found someone _competent_, and not another fraud like Lockhart? The students are falling behind - I am afraid they will have a lot to catch up on this year. Is it an Auror? With Black on the loose, surely that would be the most sensible choice..."

Dumbledore chuckled. "It is not an Auror, Minerva, but he is a bit of an expert on Sirius Black, one might say. I assure you, you will not be able to find anything wrong with my choice."

"Well, then, out with it, Dumbledore," Snape said. "I don't have all day."

Inwardly, Dumbledore winced somewhat, preparing for the explosion that was surely going to come from his Potion's Master's direction. Outwardly, however, he kept a broad, jovial smile on his bearded face. "I'm sure those of you who had him as a student remembers him well: Remus Lupin."

Poppy let out a little squeak of delight, clapping her hands, while McGonagall blinked in surprise, a pleased expression appearing on her face. Likewise, professor Flitwick was nodding in approval. However, Snape's face had coloured.

_"Lupin?" _he spat out. "Have you lost your mind, Dumbledore? The man is more likely to help Black rather than stop him! And have you forgotten what he is? Surely you cannot mean to let a _werewolf _teach our students!"

The few members of the staff who had been hired after the marauders left Hogwarts hissed in surprise and disapproval.

"I have not lost my mind, thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "And I trust Remus Lupin completely. As for his...furry little problem," his lips twitched, "I have been assured he has it under control, and he will keep away from the castle whenever the full moon rises. As he cannot infect someone by his mere presence, I really don't see why you are protesting."

Snape spluttered. "I am protesting because he is a dark creature!"

"Who better to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Dumbledore countered calmly.

"And," Snape ploughed on, "he was one of Black's best friends! Surely you can see why I am concerned?"

"Frankly, I don't. The key-word in that sentence is _'was'_ - not is. And as a former friend of Sirius Black's, I find it extremely likely that Remus Lupin will be in a better position to predict his moves than anyone else. That gives us a higher chance to keep Black away from the students and catch him. No offense to you, dear Sybil, of course."

"Oh, not to worry," Sybill Trelawney, the Divination's professor said, her eyes looking gigantic behind her glasses. "I am sure that whatever foresight professor Lupin manages to bring to our school will not surpass my own."

Several members of the staff, McGonagall included, either rolled their eyes or barely suppressed their sniggers. Severus stood up, glancing at his colleagues. A few still looked doubtful at Lupin's appointment, but the majority seemed to be at ease, reassured by Dumbledore's explanation and trust in him. "I suppose I will have to take comfort in the knowledge that Lupin will be gone within a year," he snapped. "The curse will make sure of that."(14) And with that final remark, he swept out of the room, his robes billowing behind him.

"Say what you will about Severus, but he does know how to make a dramatic exit," Septima Vector, the Arithmancy professor, said with a slight grin. The rest of the staff chuckled.

"When will Remus arrive?" Poppy asked.

"Ah, because of the unfortunate date of the full moon, Remus will arrive alongside the students with the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. With Black out there, I feel more comfortable with a professor present on the train, and I'm sure Remus is more than happy to ride with his daughter."

"His_ daughter?"_ Flitwick squeaked in astonishment. "I assume Buffy Summers is the mother?"

"Indeed. Sarah Lupin is to begin her first year this year."

"Another Gryffindor for my house, then." McGonagall looked pleased.

"Perhaps. But you never know what the sorting hat will say," Flitwick piped up. "For all you know, she might end up in my house. I've always thought Remus Lupin would have made an excellent Ravenclaw."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed in challenge. "She will be a _Gryffindor,_ mark my words."

"Don't dismiss Hufflepuff," Pomona Sprout, head of Huffelpuff House and the Herbology professor, huffed. "Loyalty and hard-work are to be admired, not to mention, Hufflepuff is the house which takes all sorts of personalities. Even if her parents were both Gryffindors, the odds still speak for Hufflepuff above Ravenclaw, at least."

McGonagall looked from Pomona to Flitwick. "How about a little wager...?"

"Young Sarah might surprise all three of you and end up in Slytherin," Dumbledore pointed out with a cheery smile. All three Heads of Houses gave him identical expressions of ire and disbelief. "Or perhaps not," the Headmaster hastily amended.

* * *

**Published:** 24/03 -13

* * *

**Trivia**

(1). During the three weeks Harry lived at the Leaky Cauldron the summer before his third year, Harry would do his summer essays outside Florean Fortescue's, and got free sundaes every half hour from Florean Fortescue himself.

(2). Hagrid gave this to Harry when Harry was in the hospital wing after his confrontation with Quirrell, after writing all of his parents' old school friends for photos.

(3). According to the information found on Pottermore, the ash wand cleaves to its one true master and ought not to be passed on or gifted from the original owner, because it will lose power and skill. This tendency is extreme if the core is of unicorn. Those best suited to ash wands are not lightly swayed from their beliefs or purposes. The ideal owner may be stubborn, and will certainly be courageous, but never crass or arrogant. Red Oak is a wand for those with unusually fast reactions, making it a perfect duelling wand. Its ideal master is light of touch, quick-witted and adaptable, often the creator of distinctive, trademark spells, and a good person to have beside you in a fight.

(4). According to Pottermore, unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner. Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.

(5). The name of the Cauldron shop is revealed through Pottermore.

(6). The equipment store's name is also from Pottermore.

(7). A made-up title by me: not a real book, as far as I know, and it has no relation/intentional referral to the fictitious skyscraper from The Towering Inferno (1974 film).

(8). A volcano in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, located in the heart of Mordor, the black land, and the place where Sauron's One Ring was created and the only place it can be destroyed, making it the end point for Frodo's quest in Lord of the Rings.

(9). We find out this is at least one of the books Hermione uses for Arithmancy in third year in chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

(10). In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Mrs Weasley consults this book while trying to heal the black eye Hermione received from the twins' punching telescope.

(11). Debenhams, River Island, Selfridges are three department stores at Oxford Street, with a price range that seems to be cheaper and somewhat less exclusive than for example Harrod's.

(12). In Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x8: Tabula Rasa, Joan is what Buffy chooses to call herself when she loses her memory, Dawn mocking her for it. In Road of Sacrifice chapter 30, Faith is also less than impressed when Buffy reveals her intentions to give Sarah Joan as a second name, calling it 'blah' - the same response Dawn had in Tabula Rasa.

(13). Silvanus Kettleburn is the name of the professor of Care of Magical Creatures before Hagrid who retired to "spend more time with his remaining limbs" according to Dumbledore at the 1993 welcoming feast.

(14). After Voldemort was not accepted as professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts when he applied, no one has lasted on the position for more than a year. Therefore, it is believed he somehow cursed it...


	3. Hogwarts Express

DISCLAIMER  
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.

* * *

**1 September**

"Hurry up!" Sarah exclaimed impatiently, pushing a trolley with her and Remus' luggage on it ahead of her, while Buffy and Remus followed at a more sedate pace, Remus carrying a small battered case held together with a large quantity of knotted string. "Or I might miss the train."

"We're early, Sarah," Buffy said, amused, as they made their way towards platform nine and three-quarters, easily navigating through the many muggles at King's Cross station. "There's no rush."

"Well, I want to make sure I get a good spot," Sarah said.

"Pick the compartment at the very end of the train," Remus suggested with a slight smile. "It's the 'Marauder compartment.' My friends and I always shared it during every trip to and from Hogwarts."

Sarah lit up. "Like a tradition?"

"Exactly. I'd be very happy to see you continue it. Ah, here we are."

The Lupin family came to a stop in front of the solid metal barrier between platform nine and ten.

"Is the Hogwarts Express really through there?" Sarah asked. "Because if you two are just making fun of my ignorance and I smash right into that barrier, I'm not going to be very happy with you."

Remus and Buffy laughed. "We're not making fun," Buffy said and began to walk backwards towards the barrier. "I swear it." Less than a second later, she abruptly disappeared, having passed through it painlessly and without a sound, faster than Sarah could blink.

"Cool," Sarah breathed out, and then broke out into a run, passing through the barrier after her mother, Remus jogging after her. Once he too reached platform nine and three-quarters and rejoined Buffy and Sarah, he wrapped an arm around his now frozen daughter, who was staring at the Hogwarts Express with her mouth wide open.

"So what do you think of the Hogwarts Express?"

"It's wicked," Sarah exclaimed. Looking behind her, she saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. A sign above the billowing smoke from the train announced the departure time to be eleven o'clock, just like it said on Sarah's ticket. The platform was still fairly empty of people - it was almost forty minutes until eleven o'clock - but there were a few other wizarding families milling around, most of them consisting of older students.

"Do you want to go inside or wait out here for a little while longer?" Buffy wondered.

"Go inside," Sarah said, heading towards the top of the train. "I want to have time to explore the entire train!"

"Alright," Remus said. "We'll take your luggage and place it in the last compartment."

"See you there!" Sarah said, skipping away.

Buffy sighed as she and Remus entered the opposite end of the train with Sarah and Remus' luggage, quickly finding the last compartment and settling down there. "She certainly doesn't seem to suffer from any sort of leaving-the-nest syndrome," she said, putting her head on Remus' shoulder as they sat down. "While I'm going to miss her - and you - something terrible this year."

"I'm going to miss you too," Remus said. "But there's always floo and I'll make sure Sarah doesn't forget to write you, and I'll see you during each full moon... And you and I can always meet up in Hogsmeade."

"It's not the same," Buffy grunted. "And I'll worry for your safety. Not just because of Sirius but because of the Dementors as well." She shuddered.

"I can handle the Dementors," Remus assured her.

"And Sirius?"

Remus sighed. "Let me get back to you on that."

"...And Elizabeth...she'll be a fifth year, right?"

Remus stiffened as he gave Buffy a look of surprise, having thought she must have forgotten about his sister, taken away to live with the Baddock family as an infant, since she hadn't brought her up when Dumbledore hired him. As if she knew what he was thinking, Buffy gave him a deadpan look. "Like I would forget about your sister, Re," she said. "How will you approach her?"

"I'm not sure I will," Remus shook his head. "She doesn't know about me and I don't want to ruin things for her with her family..."

"You _are_ her family, Re, and the Baddocks don't have any right to keep you from her," Buffy insisted. "Elizabeth is old enough to make her own decisions."

Remus remained noncommittal. "We'll see," was all he said, and Buffy gave up, knowing her husband wouldn't change his mind right now - Buffy was, however, certain he would later, once he met his sister, and was more than happy to wait things out and let things take their natural course.

The married couple sat in silence as the clock ticked away while they waited for Sarah to return. Looking out the windows, they saw more and more students and wizarding families appear - both of them were unconsciously keeping an eye out for a shock of messy black hair or the Baddocks - outside on the platform.

Finally, ten minutes before the train was meant to leave, Sarah appeared at a run, her brown hair windblown and a wide grin on her face as she came to an abrupt stop on the threshold. "The train is awesome! Okay, so the compartments sort of look identical and some of them smelled funny, but it's still awesome!"

"Don't run on the train, Sarah," Remus said even as Buffy stood up and embraced Sarah in a long, tight hug, valiantly trying to hold back tears and failing.

"I swore to myself I wouldn't blubber like an idiot when it became time to say goodbye," Buffy choked out, even as Sarah returned her hug just as firmly, suddenly feeling rather teary herself, though she didn't know why - it wasn't like she would never see her mother again. "So much for that, I suppose." Buffy pulled away slowly, wiping at the corner of her eyes, Remus watching both of them with a tender smile on his face.

"I'll miss you too, mum," Sarah admitted, her own eyes glassy with suppressed tears.

"Don't get into_ too_ much trouble," Buffy said. "Or at least don't get caught doing it," she added. Sarah giggled while Remus only let out a resigned sigh, shaking his head. "Don't forget to do your homework and read actual textbooks - not just fiction - and _make friends._ I don't care how many, as long as they're loyal. And keep an eye out for Harry. That goes for you too, mister," she added to Remus who nodded with a smile. "And don't be upset if you're not in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat makes the decision, not you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "And I'm _sure_ it will make the right one and put me in the house of the brave and daring where I belong. I'm_ your _daughter, after all."

"Oh, shouldn't that make Gryffindor the house of the cheeky and the reckless?" Remus cut in innocently. Buffy threw him an unimpressed glare.

_"You_ were a Gryffindor too, you know."

"Ah, but I was the_ responsible _one." Remus nodded sagely.

"Sure you were," Buffy rolled her eyes, the sarcasm unmistakable, even as Remus smirked. "Floo me once you get settled in," she added and gave Remus a long kiss goodbye, ignoring the sounds of gagging from Sarah. "Goodbye, you two."

"Bye mum!"

Buffy left the train, just as a loud whistle could be heard and guards began to slam all the train doors shut as the Hogwarts Express prepared to leave the platform. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Harry, standing with a red-headed man who could only be Arthur Weasley, talking. Why was he not on the train yet?

"Arthur, quickly!" she heard someone say and she turned around, catching sight of Molly Weasley. Steam was rising from the train and it began to slowly move. Buffy saw another red-head in Harry's age slam open one of the compartment doors to the train while Harry ran to catch up, jumping inside just as the train picked up speed. Both of them leaned out a window to wave goodbye to the Weasley couple, Harry grinning widely as he caught sight of Buffy, who threw him a salute as the train disappeared into the distance.

* * *

"Hello Harry and welcome to compartment awesome!" Sarah said with a wide grin as the door to her and Remus' compartment opened a few minutes after the train had left the platform, revealing Harry standing in the doorway beside a red-head and a bushy-haired brunette. "We have fun, games, intelligent and amusing conversations and a cool Hogwarts professor who will hopefully not try to kill you."

"Umm..." The red-head blinked while the brunette's eyebrows flew up, even as Harry stepped inside to give Sarah a hug.

"Hi, Sarah."

"Hi, Harry. A little late to get on the train, weren't you?" Sarah smirked.

Harry laughed. "I like to make an entrance. Ron, Hermione, this is Sarah Lupin - I met her and her mother in Diagon Alley this summer, Sarah, this is Ron and Hermione, my best friends."

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione said, giving Remus a curious look as the trio sat down.

"This is Remus Lupin, my dad. He's the new Defence professor this year," Sarah said, seeing her look.

"Hello," Remus said mildly, his heart skipping a beat as he took in Harry's face. He really did look a lot like James and his eyes were so much like Lily's it hurt. "Harry, it's especially nice to meet you."

"Why? Because he's the Boy Who Lived?" Ron asked dumbly, and, in Sarah's opinion, rather insensitively.

"Ron!" Hermione smacked him.

"What?"

Remus chuckled. "No, definitely not because of that. I knew his parents very well - both Lily and James were among my best friends."

"Oh." Ron looked properly chastised. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"What was it you needed to talk to us about, Harry?" Hermione wondered and then gave Remus and Sarah a look. "If you wanted it to be in private, maybe we should wait until we get to the school...no offence," she added hastily, as she didn't want to risk alienating her new professor. Remus looked greatly amused.

"No, it's alright," Harry said after a few seconds after glancing at Remus, deciding to take a chance and trust him. After all, Buffy and Sarah had been nothing but nice to him and Buffy had even said her husband's door would certainly be open to him if he had any questions... "Mr Weasley seems to think Sirius Black is after me." He explained all about the argument between Mr and Mrs Weasley that he had overheard the night before, and the warning Mr Weasley had given him on the platform. He did not notice the many expressions crossing Remus' face, or Sarah's fascination.

Once Harry finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, while Hermione had her hands over her mouth. Remus knew he should say something, knew that he should come clean to Harry about Sirius and what he knew - but as he opened his mouth to speak, he found himself unable to bring himself to do it. For some reason, not a single word escaped his mouth. "Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry - "

"I don't go looking for trouble." Harry sounded nettled. "Trouble usually finds _me."_

Remus couldn't help the snort that escaped him - from what Dumbledore had told him and Buffy about Harry's first two years at Hogwarts, that was not exactly true. But he didn't think Harry would appreciate a lecture. "Sorry," he said instead when he saw the weird looks from Harry and his friends, "it's just James - Harry's father - he was the type of person who_ did_ go looking for trouble." He smiled ruefully at how easy it was to talk about James in comparison to Sirius. "If there was a path of danger ahead, he'd take it. And that's not even mentioning the trouble he _caused."_

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, eager for any stories about his parents and forgetting entirely about Sirius Black for the moment, and Ron and Hermione too seemed to have recovered from the shock of Harry's story, forgetting their fright for the moment. Before Remus could answer, a faint, tinny sort of whistle interrupted and everyone looked around the compartment in search of the noise.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," Ron said and stood up, reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later, he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope he had gotten Harry for his birthday out between Harry's robes. It spun very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and was glowing brilliantly.

"What is that?" Sarah asked interestedly, standing up for a better look alongside Hermione.

"A Sneakoscope," both Hermione and Remus echoed, glancing at each other in surprise. Harry inwardly sniggered, remembering how he had said to Buffy that both of them seemed a lot alike, having a love of books in common. "If someone who is untrustworthy around, it's supposed to lit up and spin," Remus explained, feeling another pang: if only they'd had a reliable Sneakoscope around during Order meetings, perhaps Sirius would never have gotten a chance to betray them all...

"Yeah...mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "Bill even said it was unreliable... It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"No! Well… I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys… but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"How do you turn it off?" Sarah wondered.

"Let me -_ silencio!"_ Remus pulled out his wand, pointing it at the Sneakoscope which abruptly fell silent. "There," he held out the Sneakoscope to Harry, "the charm should hold for at least a few days, but Sneakoscopes do turn themselves off after awhile."

"Thanks," Harry said, sticking it back in the trunk.

"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," Ron suggested. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked both Ron and Remus eagerly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain - "

"It is," Remus nodded. "And a lot of historical events have taken place there."

"Yes, I read about that!" Hermione lit up, noticeably happy to have someone to hold an intelligent conversation with. "I read in _Sights of Historical Sorcery _that the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion. And You-Know-Who attacked the village during the war, didn't he?"

Remus' stomach churned uncomfortably. That particular battle was not something he liked to dwell upon - Buffy had been so badly injured and Mandy had been taken, something Remus still blamed himself for. Now, years later, Remus pinpointed that event as the moment when everything had started to go wrong. Oh, there had been several horrible occurrences before that as well, Samantha's suicide for one, but the marauders' downward spiral hadn't really started until the battle of Hogsmeade - that's when they truly began to fall apart. He forced himself to smile at Hermione. "He did."

"I just want to get inside Honeydukes," Ron interrupted, to Remus' relief.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"It's this sweetshop," Ron said with a dreamy look on his face, "where they've got everything… Pepper Imps — they make you smoke at the mouth — and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next - "

" - Chocolate," both Sarah and Remus chorused, identical expressions of bliss on their faces, to Harry and Hermione's amusement.

" - and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," Ron finished.

"You'll have to tell me all about it," Harry said heavily.

Ron blinked. "What d'you mean? You'll come with us and explore, won't you?"

"I can't. I didn't get my permission form signed."

Remus couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved - it would be a lot more difficult to keep an eye out for Harry if he was in Hogsmeade, but if Harry was the slightest bit like James - and Remus had a feeling he was - he would probably find a way to sneak out anyway.

Remus decided in that moment that he would just have to find a way to keep Harry occupied during Hogsmeade weekends, to keep him from being tempted. And if he got the Marauder's Map back from Filch, it would make it a lot easier for him to keep an eye out for Sirius_ and_ make sure Harry didn't sneak off somewhere dangerous at night.

Remus shook himself out of his thoughts, and belatedly realised he must have missed a great deal of conversation as the trio was back to talking about Sirius again, Sarah listening with interest. Inwardly, Remus sighed, realising he would probably need to keep an eye on _Sarah_ on the map as well. In fact, he thought resignedly, there was probably a bigger chance of Sarah sneaking off than Harry.

"...do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?" Hermione was fumbling with the straps to her cat basket as she spoke.

"Don't let that thing out!" Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and leaped towards Ron, but before he could land on his lap, Sarah grabbed the cat midair, cuddling him towards her chest.

"Oh, he's _adorable!"_ Sarah cooed, ignoring the cat's hissing protests.

"He's a menace!" Ron exclaimed, ignoring the dirty looks from both Sarah and Hermione.

"His name's Crookshanks," Hermione told Sarah who was happily stroking the cat's fur. Crookshanks had calmed down and was now purring in Sarah's lap.

"I want a pet, dad," Sarah told Remus. "Can't I have a pet?"

_"No,"_ Remus said firmly. "Neither you or your mother have the best track-records when it comes to animals. I've heard stories about the life of the poor pet-goldfish Buffy killed,1 and I don't even want to _think_ about the fate of rest of the pets _you've_ had in the past. Your turtle dehydrated, our owl flew away and did not come back, your rabbit _literally _died of fright, you grew bored of your fish and flushed them down the toilet, and _you ran your cat over with your bicycle!__*_ You're not getting another pet._ Ever._ If you need to send letters, you can use the school-owls."

"It's not like I did that on purpose," Sarah muttered somewhat petulantly, pouting.

Hermione looked horrified, her hands twitching as though she wanted to tear Crookshanks away from Sarah, even though Ron and Harry had difficulty in hiding their sniggers.

The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north, and as the scenery outside the window became progressively wilder and the sky darkened as clouds thickened overhead, Remus slowly drifted off to sleep, somewhat tired from his transformation the night before.2 He missed when the food cart came by, and he also slept passed an unwelcome visit from Draco Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

Sarah was less than impressed by the three of them and their rather pathetic insults and was greatly amused by the way they ran off once they caught sight of her dad. The three might like to pretend they were all that, she said once they were gone, but it was clear they were nothing but cowards. After they left, Sarah was more than happy to listen to Ron, Harry, and even Hermione, tell her all about the enmity between them and their various run-ins during their two years at Hogwarts.

"Your dad sleeps like the dead," Ron whispered to Sarah as the train sped farther north amidst thickening, hammering rain and roaring wind. The windows had gradually darkened and lanterns had flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. "We must be nearly there." The words had barely left his mouth when the train started to slow down. Ron got up and walked carefully past Remus to try and see outside. "Great. I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."

Hermione, however, was frowning. "We can't be there yet," she said, checking her watch.

"So why're we stopping?"

The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows. Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments. The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

Sarah usually didn't mind the dark, but something about this had her feeling uneasy, and she unconsciously pressed herself closer to her dad's side, even as she listened to Ron, Harry and Hermione.

"D'you think we've broken down?" She heard Harry ask.

"Dunno…" There was a squeaking sound, and Sarah saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out. "There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard…"

Sarah frowned. Why would people come aboard? Weren't they in the middle of nowhere? The compartment door suddenly opened and Sarah let out a gasp as there was a loud sound of someone falling.

"Sorry!" she heard someone say. "D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry —"

"Hullo, Neville," Sarah heard Harry say.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea! Sarah, are you alright? Neville, sit down — "

There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.

"Yes, I'm alright," Sarah said, her voice steady, the comforting thump of her dad's heart against her ear calming her down, though she was surprised he still hadn't awakened.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," Hermione said, and Sarah heard the door slide open again, followed by a thud and two loud squeals of pain.

"Who's that?"

"Who's _that?"_

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron —"

"Come in and sit down —"

"Not here!" Sarah heard Harry say, "I'm here!" Suddenly, the entire situation struck Sarah as rather funny, all of them fumbling around in the dark blinder than bats. Beside her, she felt her dad move, waking up at last.

"Ouch!" Neville exclaimed.

"Quiet!" her dad said, his voice hoarse from sleep. Sarah waited patiently, no longer scared at all now when her dad was awake. It didn't take long before a shivering light filled the compartment, accompanied by a soft, crackling noise, a handful of flames hovering above the palm of Remus' hand. Her dad, his eyes alert, glanced around the compartment warily, quickly taking stock of everyone there, pausing slightly on Harry and Neville, and then turned to Sarah, giving her a long once-over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm peachy, daddy," Sarah said, ignoring the sounds of shock from the new people in the compartment - Ginny and Neville.

Remus nodded. "Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him, moving towards the door. But the door slid slowly open before he could reach it. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in his hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood.

Sarah felt suddenly cold, and she began to shiver violently. From the reactions of the others in the compartment it was clear she wasn't the only one feeling the effects, and her dad's face was pale. Then she saw Harry's eyes roll up into his head and he abruptly fell off his seat to the floor, his body twitching, and Sarah let out a whimper.

Remus stepped carefully over Harry moving towards the creature with determined steps, holding out his wand in front of him. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." The creature didn't react and Sarah closed her eyes. _"Expecto Patronum,"_ she heard her dad whisper, and Sarah opened her eyes just in time to see a cloud of silver, without a real form, shoot out of the tip of his wand, and the creature turned around and glided away.

Her dad's shoulders seemed to slump down in relief as it left and Sarah immediately felt better and she sat up, giving her dad a long hug, which he was more than happy to return. The lights came back on, and the floor began to shake as the Hogwarts Express began to move again. "Are you okay?" Remus asked her. Behind them, Harry's friends were kneeling, beginning to try and wake Harry up.

"Yes," Sarah said through clattering teeth. "Are you? You were awfully near that thing..."

"I'm fine. Promise me you'll stay far away, run even, if you see one of them approach you again," Remus said, while noting Harry seemed to have woken up, being helped back onto his seat by Ron and Hermione. "A Dementor is not something you can fight until you're much older."

"I promise," Sarah said solemnly, and Remus nodded, having a feeling that this particular promise was one Sarah would be happy to keep.

"What happened?" he heard Harry ask. "Where's that — that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," Ron said nervously.

Remus paled at the implications while he pulled out a large chocolate bar which he had placed in an inside pocket with shaking fingers. He knew of the effects a Dementor could have on your memories. Was it possible Harry actually _remembered_ that night? That he remembered what happened when Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow, even though he had been so young? Remus couldn't think of any other instance when Harry would have heard someone scream... who had he heard? Lily? Or James? Or both?

"But I heard screaming - "

Remus snapped the chocolate bar into pieces, realising he'd probably done it more forcefully than necessary when everyone in the compartment jumped at the sound. "Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."

Harry took the chocolate but didn't eat it. "What was that thing?" he asked.

"A Dementor," Remus answered while handing out chocolate to everyone else, giving Sarah a piece that was the same size as Harry's, since he knew of her chocoholic tendencies. He inwardly shivered - he had never wanted Sarah to come so close to a Dementor... "One of the Dementors of Azkaban." He crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket, suddenly finding it rather difficult to breathe... "Eat," he repeated, aware of his short tone but not really caring at the moment. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me…"

He strolled past Harry and disappeared into the corridor, not stopping until he was in the very middle of the train, where he came to an abrupt stop, leaning his forehead against a closed door in the empty corridor, breathing heavily: everyone seemed to have locked themselves inside their compartments to avoid the Dementor's effects. The door was cool against Remus face, and it helped to calm him down.

He wished Buffy was here... To just see Harry again had thrown him for a loop, even though he knew of his presence, even though Buffy had described him... and then, the Dementor had showed up, making Remus realise he might actually remember Lily and James' deaths... what would have happened if he hadn't been in the compartment with them?

Harry's reaction to them had been awful to see, and the Dementors might officially be on the Ministry's side, but Remus would never trust them. To see one in such close proximity to _children_ - to Harry, to his own daughter - was horrifying. And it was all because of Sirius' escape. "Damn you, Sirius," he breathed out. "What were you thinking? What _are _you thinking?"

He took a deep breath before he straightened up and knocked on the compartment door he'd been leaning against. The door opened slowly and Remus got yet another shock as he caught sight of the girl who stuck out her head, peering at him nervously. It was like staring at a younger version of his dead mother, with some differences: her hair, while strawberry-blonde, was in a deeper shade, her nose more pronounced, and her eyes...her eyes were the same shade as his dad's had been._ Elizabeth. _His sister.

"Can I help you?"

Remus became suddenly aware that he was gawking and he quickly collected himself. "Yes, you can actually," Remus said, readjusting his previously open mouth into a small smile, hoping it did not look too strained. "My name is Remus Lupin, and I'm the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Do you happen to have an owl I can borrow? I need to send a message ahead to castle about the Dementor. Some of the students had a particularly bad reaction to it," he added, deciding not to single out Harry, having a feeling he would not appreciate it.

The girl - Elizabeth - a Ravenclaw, Remus noted, seeing the colours of her tie - nodded and opened the door wide enough for Remus to slip through. From the lack of reaction at his surname, Remus understood Elizabeth's adoptive parents had told her nothing about their relation, just like they'd said when they were given guardianship over her. "Please, come in. Cedric, you don't mind if professor Lupin borrows your owl, do you?"

One of Elizabeth's companions in the compartment, a tall Hufflepuff, shook his head and stood from his seat, moving to unlock the cage his owl was in. "Not at all."

"I'm Elizabeth Baddock, by the way," Elizabeth said to Remus, and then began to introduce her companions to Remus, pointing them out one at a time: "This is Emily Bennett, who is in Ravenclaw with me, and Cedric Diggory and Drew Summers, both from Hufflepuff.3 Do you know_ why _a Dementor was on the train?"

"I expect it was looking for Sirius Black," Remus answered somewhat grimly while pulling out an empty parchment and a ballpoint pen from an outer pocket of his robes and began to write.

"Sirius Black?" the male Hufflepuff Elizabeth had introduced as Drew exclaimed, sounding alarmed. "What would he be doing on the train?"

"My father works at the Ministry," Cedric spoke up, holding out his arm for his regal-looking Eagle-Owl to clamber on to. "He said he heard it rumoured that Black is after Harry Potter, which is why Minister Fudge has decided to station them around Hogwarts for the students' safety this year. He thinks it is likely Black is going to try to get inside the castle."

_"Alohomora,"_ the other Ravenclaw girl, Emily, said, pointing her wand at the window, unlocking it.

"That, unfortunately, seems to be the truth," Remus said as he finished his note and pointed his wand at it. _"Impervius."_ Cedric walked over to Remus with his owl which obediently stretched out one of its legs, making it easy for Remus to tie the now waterproof note around it. "Take this letter to professor McGonagall, please," he told the owl.

"And then you can go straight to the Owlery to rest," Cedric added, stroking his owl's feathers.

The owl hooted, pecked Cedric gently on top of his head, and then flew out the open window, bravely bearing the storm, which didn't seem to bother it too much.

"Thank you for your help," Remus said. "I look forward to seeing all four of you in class," He left the compartment, closing the door behind him; taking several deep breaths once he was outside. Technically, the term hadn't even begun yet and Remus already felt completely drained of energy... How was he supposed to last a whole year? This entire train-ride had been like an emotional rollercoaster.

After talking to the driver, who told him they'd be at Hogwarts in ten minutes, he made his way back to the end of the train. Re-entering his compartment, his eyebrows quirked up as he saw Harry still hadn't eaten his chocolate, and Sarah was now eyeing his piece hungrily. He smiled. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know..."

* * *

The Hogwarts Express finally came to a stop at Hogsmeade station and there was a great scramble among everyone to get outside quickly and into a dry carriage: it was freezing on the tiny platform and rain was driving down in icy sheets. "Firs'-years this way!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.

"All righ', you three?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd and the trio simply waved in greeting, before they turned to Sarah, who stood silently beside her dad and had made no move to walk over to her fellow first-years who was gathering around Hagrid. To Harry's surprise, he saw the normally exuberant girl actually looked a little bit anxious.

"We'll see you after the sorting, Sarah," Hermione said. "And we all hope to see you in Gryffindor."

"We'll save you a seat," Ron said and Harry gave Sarah a grin, before he, Ron and Hermione took off towards the carriages that drove all second to seventh years to the school, leaving Sarah standing on the dark platform alone, beside her father.

"You should join Hagrid," Remus told his daughter. "In fact, I'm surprised you haven't run off already." He threw her a rueful smile.

Sarah smiled weakly. "I'm feeling rather...nervous, all of sudden." She gave her dad a long hug, which Remus was more than happy to return.

"I think that's normal, Sarah," Remus said, amused. "Now run along, before Hagrid and the other first-years leave without you."

"Hah!" Sarah grinned, some of her normal spark returning, even as the rain kept beating down on them. "Like anyone would ever dare to leave me behind!" She skipped away towards Hagrid, and Remus watched with a slight smile as he led her and the other new students away, towards the boats. Satisfied Sarah was in good hands, he finally entered a carriage, relaxing against the seat as it took him towards Hogwarts.

* * *

Sarah kept her head high, eagerly peering over the heads of her fellow first-years, who were all shuddering from the cold, their heads ducked down, hoping to catch sight of the lake. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see much of anything except the raindrops and the bobbing light from Hagrid's lantern, which led the way down the steep, narrow path.

"Yeh'll get yer first' sight o' Hogwarts in jus a moment," Hagrid called over his shoulder as the first-years came around a bend in the road. In front of them, the narrow path opened up on to the edge of Hogwart's great lake. And on the other side of the glistening water, on top of a high mountain, the castle towered up towards the night sky, lights in the windows flickering with a welcoming glow even through the pouring rain. "No more'n four to a boat! Hagrid said next, once everyone finished gawking at the school, Sarah included.

Moving towards the fleet of small, paddle-less rowboats that sat in the water by the shore, Sarah sneezed from the cold, drizzling water falling from the sky. "Bless you," someone said and Sarah spun around. "I'm Astoria Greengrass,"4 the girl who had spoken said. Her blonde tresses were drenched with water and plastered against the sides of her face and the shoulders of her black robe. "Do you want to share a boat?"

"Sure!" Sarah said happily, giving Astoria a welcoming smile as she climbed into the boat, holding out a hand for Astoria to grab and helping her inside. "I'm Sarah Lupin."

Astoria nodded, but didn't say anything else, her teeth clattering from the cold. Around them, the other first-years were clambering down into the rest of the wooden boats, and Sarah and Astoria were happy to help two more first-years - named Romilda Vane and Matthew Summerby5 - join them.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted once he climbed into a boat of his own. "Right then - FORWARD!"

Sarah and the other three first-years grabbed on to the sides of their dinghy as it suddenly began to move off, gliding across the lake alongside all the other rowboats: the stormy weather made it impossible to make the journey entirely smooth, but Sarah found the way the boat rocked back and forth on top of the bobbing waves sort of comforting.

Both Matthew and Astoria seemed likewise unaffected by the swaying of the boat, their eyes transfixed on the rapidly approaching castle, but poor Romilda was beginning to look rather green. "I think I'm going to get sea-sick," the dark-haired first-year admitted, as she put her head down between her knees.

"We're almost there," Astoria said, tearing her eyes away from the castle to look over her shoulder. "Look."

"I'm good, thanks," Romilda responded, not moving an inch from her current position.

"It's gorgeous," Sarah breathed out as she looked up at the castle.

"What houses do you think you'll end up in?" Matthew asked, his voice slightly breathless and barely a whisper, as though he was afraid of breaking the almost reverent mood that had fallen over all the first-years as the boats came closer and closer to the cliff on which Hogwarts stood, proud and unyielding.

"My sister is in Slytherin, so I suppose it would be nice to end up there with her, but I don't care if I'm sorted somewhere else," Astoria said.

"Gryffindor," Sarah said with a grin. "Definitely."

"I've got my heart set on Hufflepuff, myself," Matthew said. "Both my parents were Hufflepuffs, for one. What about you, Romilda?"

Romilda only let out a weak groan in response. "Don't talk to me right now unless you want me to puke in this bloody boat..."

Sarah, Astoria and Matthew shared a look over Romilda's head. They felt sorry for her, of course, but the situation was also rather funny, and they let out quiet sniggers.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff and all three of them quickly bent their heads down as their boat carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. The water was a lot calmer here, the boats sailing smoothly through a dark tunnel. Romilda finally raised her head, looking pale but otherwise alright.

The boats came to a stop by an underground harbour of sorts and all first-years hurriedly clambered out on to rocks and pebbles, Romilda looking greatly relieved to have firm ground beneath her feet.

"Follow me now!" Hagrid said, leading the first-years up a passageway in the rock until they came out on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. Before he could raise a fist and knock, the castle door swung open, revealing a tiny wizard with a shock of white hair who beamed happily at them which immediately put Sarah at ease.

"My name is professor Flitwick,6 and I am happy to welcome you all to Hogwarts!" he said in a somewhat squeaky voice and pulled the door wide open, giving Sarah a perfect view of the gigantic Entrance Hall, the stone walls lit with flaming torches. "Please, come inside! Quickly now! We don't want you freezing to death! That would be an awkward start of the year, indeed!"

The first-years let out nervous giggles and Sarah smiled widely as she entered the castle next to Astoria. Oh, she would definitely like it here.

* * *

Remus waited nervously by the staff-table for the sorting to begin, alternatively looking towards the double doors to the Great Hall and the Gryffindor table where Harry and his friend, Hermione, were both notably absent. Remus assumed Harry must have been taken to Madam Pomfrey due to his reaction to the Dementors, and he supposed Hermione must have joined him. He tried to pay no attention to the curious looks and whispers from the students, and the glare coming in his direction from Severus Snape.

Everyone but the Potions Master had greeted him happily or at least kindly enough when he sat down by the staff table, and Remus could not say he was at all surprised. Severus was honestly one new colleague he could have done without, but Remus was determined to not antagonise him on purpose: he couldn't help if he did it _accidentally _by just existing.

Just then, Flitwick entered the Great Hall with the first-year students and Remus quickly located Sarah near the top of the line, standing beside a blonde girl. Sarah waved at him discreetly when she saw him and Remus smiled, giving her a slight wink in response as they walked up towards the staff-table, coming to a halt in a line facing the other students.

Flitwick brought the Sorting Hat forwards, the hat even more shabby-looking now than it had been the last time Remus had seen it, placing it on top of a three-legged stool in front of the first-years. The rip near the hat's brim opened and it began to sing:

_"Gryffindor was a brave ol' chap,  
__That made me into a talking cap.  
__Slytherin was ambitious and cunning,  
__And had his enemies fleeing and running.  
__Hufflepuff valued loyalty and trust,  
__Her house is for the hardworking and just.  
__Ravenclaw liked to study and read,  
__Yes, Rowena was a clever woman, indeed.  
__Now, dear children, just put me on,  
__And I'll put you where you belong."_

The Sorting Hat fell silent and Remus silently wondered if it had felt uninspired during the past year or years as he felt the song had been rather short, instead of the long show tune it usually put on. The students as a whole seemed to have appreciated it though, as the Hall burst into applause as the hat bowed and then became still.

"When I call your name, please sit on the stool and put on the hat and it will sort you," Flitwick told them, holding a scroll of parchment that was almost longer than him.

Remus clapped automatically for every new student that was sorted, not really paying attention, waiting both eagerly and somewhat apprehensively for Sarah's name to be called. The only first-year which gathered slightly more notice was the student who stood next to Sarah, as her last name was that of Greengrass, making Remus wonder if she was somehow related to Belinda Greengrass who had married Lucan Davis and taken his surname. Finally, Flitwick reached the letter 'L' and Remus unconsciously straightened in his seat. "Lupin, Sarah."

Sarah sat down on the stool confidently and Remus watched expectantly as she put on the hat, her long light-brown hair trailing down her back in a wet mess beneath it. Several seconds went by. Remus watched as Sarah's back abruptly stiffened, presumably in anticipation, and then... "SLYTHERIN!" the hat called out.

* * *

**Published:** 27/04 -13

* * *

**Trivia**

(1). In Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3x20: The Prom, Buffy says to Angel "I killed my goldfish."

(2). The actual full moon occurred on 1 September, 1993, but I had it occur the night before (31 August) since I didn't want Remus to have to go home the very night he got to Hogwarts, and the other full moon dates as they occur in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban aren't correctly synced to the actual moon cycle anyway.

(3). A Hufflepuff by the name of Summers tried, like Fred and George Weasley, to take an aging potion to bypass the restrictions for the TriWizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is meant to be him.

(4). Astoria Greengrass is the little sister of Daphne Greengrass, here cousin to Tracey Davis and eventual wife of Draco Malfoy in canon.

(5). Romilda Vane is a Gryffindor who in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince tried out for the Quidditch team and attempted to dose Harry with a love potion. Matthew Summerby is meant to be the same Summerby who was named Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

(6). The reason it is professor Flitwick and not professor McGonagall who is leading the first-years to the sorting is because McGonagall is with Harry and Hermione in her office due to Harry's reaction to the Dementors and Hermione's timetable.

(*) No actual animals were harmed during the research for/creation of this episode.


	4. Slytherin welcome

DISCLAIMER  
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.

* * *

Sarah couldn't believe she'd just been sorted into_ Slytherin. _For several seconds, while the students with the green and silver emblem began to applaud, she remained on the stool. She was halfway convinced the hat was going to pronounce it was joking...but it didn't happen. Realising she'd make a scene if she didn't move soon and determined to not let anyone see how shook up she was, Sarah pulled off the hat and carefully plastered a smile on her face as walked towards the Slytherin table.

She was certain no one could tell it wasn't completely genuine: she'd always been a fabulous actress, something that would serve her well in her new house. Sarah's smile widened into a real grin when she saw Astoria move aside to give her a spot next to her. Though she hadn't gotten a chance to get to know the girl very well yet, Sarah felt the two could become good friends with time.

The hat had called her loyal and brave, clever and curious, and Sarah had been sure it must therefore be wavering between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and possibly even Hufflepuff. And then, the hat continued to describe her as self-assured and strong-minded - the house of the cunning would serve her well and she it, whatever that meant - and before Sarah could react, let alone argue, she was suddenly a Slytherin.

The sorting continued, but Sarah only listened with half an ear, automatically applauding when she noticed the rest of her new housemates doing it. She supposed she wasn't exactly _upset _by the hat's decision - just very surprised. Ever since her parents told her about Hogwarts and its houses, and their tales of Gryffindor house in particular, Sarah had been set on that house. But now, she was a Slytherin instead, and suddenly forced to rearrange all the thoughts and expectations she'd had and try to put herself in a Slytherin mindset.

Though she didn't put any stock in prejudice, Sarah did worry about her new house's reputation and how the rest of the school might judge her just because she wore green and silver. Would Harry still want to be her friend? From the way he'd spoken about Draco Malfoy, and the way Ron had spoken about Slytherin in general during the ride on the train, it was obvious their feelings about her new house were cool at best, hostile at worst. And from what Sarah knew, it was clear the majority of the other three houses felt the same way.

But then again, Sarah thought, she'd never let people's opinion bother her before. She was proud of who she was, and if that now included Slytherin, well, then she'd be the best Slytherin she could be. And if she could change things around and create a little chaos in people's way of thinking at the same time, that was even better, wasn't it? Sarah did not mind a challenge and some pandemonium might even be fun...and Draco Malfoy and his like, fellow Slytherins or not, better watch out - Sarah did not suffer bullies.

"Are you alright?" Astoria whispered worriedly in her ear and Sarah threw her a startled look, only then realising she'd been unconsciously begun to smirk.

"Peachy keen," Sarah whispered back with a grin. The sorting had ended and Flitwick carried the hat and stool out of the Great Hall. Sarah perked up as Harry and Hermione entered, followed closely by a stern-looking professor: she hadn't realised they hadn't been by their table. A lot of people were staring at Harry, pointing at him - had the tale of Harry's reaction to the Dementor on the train spread already?

Harry and Hermione set off towards the Gryffindor table, and Sarah saw he must be looking for her, noticeably frowning when he didn't find her among the sea of Gryffindor students. After glancing over the students by the other three tables, his eyes widened as his eyes met hers, clearly shocked by her ending up in Slytherin, and he threw her a questionable glance. Sarah could only shrug in response and waved slightly.

This was it, she thought. Harry's reaction now would depend on whether they'd still be friends...to her relief, after a second's pause, Harry waved back with a sincere smile.

Happy that Harry was a true friend, Sarah turned back around, ignoring the astonished and scandalised looks she got from her fellow Slytherins for daring to 'fraternise with the enemy' in such a way. From the hushed whispers she heard coming from behind her, from the Gryffindor table, it was clear Harry was being met by the same reaction. "What?" she hissed.

"You're friends with_ Potter?"_ Draco Malfoy spat out.

"Is there a problem with that?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Yes, there is - " Malfoy began heatedly, but was interrupted before he could explain exactly _why _it was a problem by the Headmaster who stood up to begin his welcoming speech:

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..." Dumbledore cleared his throat before he continued. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on some Ministry of Magic business." He paused for a moment.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly. Sarah sniggered silently, having a feeling that particular comment was directed at Harry: her parents had told her of the things they'd gotten up to under the cloak, and since it had belonged to James and Harry was James' son, surely he had the cloak now.

"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors." Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the silent hall.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

Sarah straightened up in her seat.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Sarah applauded wildly, and she saw Harry and his friends doing the same, but they were one of the few: the applause as a whole was rather scattered and unenthusiastic, the abilities - or lack thereof - of the previous Defence professors - working against Remus. Very few people expected someone competent on the post nowadays.

The Slytherins were giving her wide-eyed looks, realising their new professor must somehow be related to her.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause died down, "well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

This time, the applause was a lot louder, the claps from the Gryffindor table particularly thunderous.

"He made that _oaf _a professor?" Malfoy roared over the noise, sounding outraged. "Just wait until my father hears about this!"

Sarah rolled her eyes, something that did not go unnoticed by Astoria who let out an unladylike snort. "My sister says there's a running bet going on in Slytherin centred on how many times each term that particular sentence leaves Malfoy's mouth," she whispered silently in Sarah's ear and the first-year burst out laughing.

Professor Dumbledore started speaking again: "Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink and all the first-years' eyes widened at the massive amount of dishes: beef, chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, pudding, rice and pasta, potatoes and various vegetables and gravy, jam and jelly, ketchup and mustard...

"I don't even know where to begin," Sarah said faintly.

"Try a little bit of each," an unfamiliar voice said and Sarah turned to look at the student who sat on Astoria's other side. From her appearance, Sarah felt sure this must be Astoria's older sister. "Astoria, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

"Oh, right!" Astoria said. "Daphne, this is Sarah Lupin - I met her by the boats. Sarah, this is Daphne, my sister. She's two years older than me. And next to her is Tracey, her best friend and our cousin."

The brunette next to Daphne waved.

"It's nice to meet you both," Sarah said, and then began to fill her plate with some things she knew she liked, and some things she'd never tried before.

"How are you related to our new professor?" Astoria wondered.

"Oh, he's my dad," Sarah said.

Opposite her, Draco Malfoy's eyes gleamed in sudden interest and he leaned forwards. "Really?" he said. "That's excellent. We'll win the House Cup this year for sure even if he's rubbish at teaching."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "He's not. He's brilliant. But he's also_ fair._ So if you think he's going to favour us just because_ I'm_ a Slytherin, think again. He'll treat everyone equally regardless of their house."

Draco snorted, clearly not believing her and from the rather dubious looks from some of the other students, it was clear they felt the same: from the way Malfoy had reacted, it was obvious most Slytherins rated the importance of things and people from how they could benefit them. Impartiality was apparently not something high on their list, and as such, not something they really believed in. It may not even be in their vocabulary.

"How do you know Harry Potter?" Tracey asked after awhile between bites, changing the subject, and everyone around them clearly perked up their ears to listen.

"I met him in Diagon Alley this summer," Sarah said. "My parents were friends with his parents. He's nice. We're friends."

"You should stay away from Potty if you know what's good for you," Malfoy sniffed from the other side of the table. "He's been our enemy since day one. You're new, so you may not yet be aware of all the rules, but true Slytherins sticks with their own house."

"Well, that seems rather stupid," Sarah sniffed and Draco froze.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I'm all for house loyalty - go Slytherin!" Sarah said, punching a fist into the air, "but to limit all our interaction to just our house seems rather narrow-minded. Slytherins are meant to be ambitious, right? So wouldn't it serve us better to forge connections and friendships _everywhere?_ And no offence, but maybe one of the reasons we Slytherins are looked down upon by everyone else - and don't say we're not - is because they don't know anything about us? All they know is hearsay from _ages_ ago and if we don't show them what we're _really_ like, how can they change their minds?"

Sarah suddenly realised everyone within earshot - not just Draco - was staring at her, and she unconsciously raised her chin in a stubborn gesture to hide how unnerved she was. "Well, that's just what I think."

Some of the Slytherins looked at least somewhat thoughtful, but most seemed rather displeased and annoyed. Maybe they did not like to have things pointed out to them - especially not by a first-year. Sarah supposed they, like everyone else, were stuck in their way of thinking and did not see the need to suddenly start to act differently for the sake of the rest of the school, which she could somewhat understand. But in some cases, change was necessary, and in this, Sarah felt she was right.

"Do us a favour, _firstie,_ and _don't think," _Draco hissed. "I'm not making friends with Potter - "

" - And no one said you have to," Daphne cut in. "Calm down, Draco. Sarah has a point in that we tend to isolate ourselves too much in Slytherin, and the Gryffindor versus Slytherin mentality can get a little tiring - she didn't say anything about Potter, even though I feel rather aggravated by your assumption that everyone shares your animosity towards him."

"Don't listen to Draco - he's got an unhealthy crush on Potter and has been in the pigtail-pulling phase(1) ever since he met him." Tracey smirked, completely ignoring Draco's indignant spluttering.

* * *

As Remus slowly ate his dinner, he had to admit he felt slightly thrown by Sarah ending up in Slytherin. It was an unexpected development and when the hat announced its decision he'd felt stunned. He wasn't angry or disappointed, however, and was certain Buffy wouldn't mind Sarah's new house either.

He had worried how Sarah herself - would take it, however - she had had her heart set on Gryffindor - but as he glanced over at the Slytherin table he saw his daughter was laughing. She seemed to be caught up in an engaging conversation with Astoria Greengrass, the friend she'd entered the Great Hall with, and a couple of older students, and Remus smiled, certain now she'd be alright.

"Remus," professor McGonagall said - Minerva, Remus corrected himself mentally; she was his _colleague _now, "since I missed the sorting, would you mind pointing out your daughter to me? I've been looking all over the Gryffindor table but I simply can't figure out who she is."

Professor Sprout - Pomona - let out a little laugh. "Well, that would be because she's not a Gryffindor."

McGonagall spluttered. "Not a - not a Gryffindor?" She sighed resignedly. "Well, I suppose with your genes, Remus, it's not that unexpected that your daughter ended up in Ravenclaw."

Flitwick shook his head. "She's not a Ravenclaw either." He looked quite amused, and making no attempt to hide it.

Pomona smirked at McGonagall's wide-eyed look. "Well," the Transfiguration professor said, "I did not expect her to be a Hufflepuff, but - "

Beside her, Snape set his goblet down with a loud clang, interrupting whatever McGonagall was about to say. His thin, sallow face was twisted into an ugly scowl, his jaw clenched. McGonagall gawked as realisation slowly dawned. "You - you cannot mean to say," she stammered, aghast, "that your daughter is a - a - " She couldn't get the word out.

"It's lucky we didn't let Severus in on our bet," Sprout said cheerily.

"Remus!" McGonagall exclaimed, her expression betrayed, as if this was somehow his fault.

Remus raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me like that; it took me completely by surprise too."

"You must be beside yourself, Lupin, knowing that your daughter is in _my_ house," Severus spat.

"Not at all," Remus said. "If the Sorting Hat believes Slytherin is where Sarah belongs, I'm sure it's correct. Sarah has always been quite devious, not to mention wilful. I'm sure she'll do your house proud."

Severus sneered. "I doubt it."

* * *

"I can't believe Sarah ended up in Slytherin," Ron said for the third time during the feast.

"We know, Ron," Hermione sighed.

"I'm just shocked! And I who thought she seemed alright."

"And now because she's a Slytherin, she's not?" Harry asked. "She hasn't changed as a person, Ron."

"But Slytherin, Harry! They're all...slimy and evil and stuff."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She's _eleven._ I highly doubt she's secretly planning world domination._"_

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, you know," Harry added conversationally. All conversation stopped around them and Harry shrugged, slightly nervous by all the attention - he'd never said what the hat told him to anyone before. "I'm just saying what house we end up in doesn't determine who we are for the rest of our lives. If I hadn't heard only bad things about Slytherin before the sorting and convinced the hat not to put me there, I would be in green and silver right now."

"Blimey, Harry," Ron exclaimed, his eyes round.

"Harry is right," Hermione said decisively. "The hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw but everything I'd read made it sound as if Gryffindor was by far the better house so I argued with it. I suppose in hindsight, the books were rather prejudiced..." She sniffed, looking very affronted, as though the books had committed some great betrayal. Harry suspected Hermione sometimes became so absorbed in her reading that she forgot books were written by _people._

"The hat thought I'd make a good Hufflepuff," Neville admitted, "but my gran said she'd _disown_ me if I ended up anywhere else but Gryffindor...I was so relieved when the hat put me here."

"Oh, _Neville,"_ Hermione exclaimed sympathetically. "I'm sure she didn't mean it."

But Harry wasn't so sure. He knew that being related by blood didn't mean automatic affection - just look at the Dursleys. He suddenly remembered the story Neville had told in his first year, how his Great-uncle Algie threw him off a pier to try and make him do magic, and later accidentally dropped him out of a window...if Neville hadn't bounced, he might be dead right now. At the same time, he didn't want to automatically think all of Neville's relatives were bad just because the Dursleys were.

Neville smiled weakly.

"My point is it doesn't matter if Sarah is in Slytherin," Harry said, sensing Neville felt uncomfortable with the situation, "I'll still be her friend. I'm not going to let Slytherins like Malfoy ruin my view of an entire house," he added.

"That's very sensible of you, Harry," Hermione nodded decisively. "And I agree wholeheartedly."

"Besides, I promised myself I'd look after her. Her parents were best friends with my parents," Harry said, feeling ever so grateful he'd met the Lupins.

"Hang on," Ginny interrupted, "does that mean you _know _the new professor?"

"Not very well," Harry said. "I only met him on the train, but I spent lots of time with his wife and daughter - Sarah - in Diagon Alley. But he was nice. And he did make the Dementor on the train go away, so I think he knows his stuff."

"Unlike Lockhart," Ron sniggered, glancing at Hermione, who flushed, remembering her unfortunate crush on their last professor.

Harry grinned widely.

* * *

After the feast, the Slytherin Prefects lead the first-years down the entrance to the dungeons and deeper and deeper under the school through winding passages, until they came to a stop in front of a stretch of a bare, damp stone wall. "Monkshood,"(2) one of the Prefects said and a door concealed in the wall slid open, revealing a passageway.

As Sarah stepped through it and into the Slytherin common room, she and the other first-years looked around curiously. Sarah had to admit she was pleasantly surprised: she had expected something far gloomier. Though the walls were made of rough stone, a fire crackled merrily under an elaborately carved mantelpiece, giving the room a cosy, yet grand, atmosphere. But she had to admit the skulls around the room gave it a rather creepy touch, though it did appeal to the more theatrical side of her.

Round greenish lamps hung from the ceiling, which, alongside the light coming from outside the windows, gave the room a greenish tinge: it seemed the Slytherin common room lied so deep under the castle that it extended partway under the lake, with a view out into its depths. Sarah's eyes widened in delight as she saw something rather large swoosh by outside, and judged by the large tentacles, it was the giant squid.(3)

"Welcome to Slytherin House," the male Prefect who had also spoken the password to the common room said to the first-years. "I'm Prefect Adrian Pucey(4) and feel free to come to me or the other Slytherin Prefects if you have any questions: we Slytherins look after our own. From now on, we trust you will help uphold the honour and traditions of our house. You've become Slytherins for a reason, and that is because you've got the potential to be great. I'm sure you've heard a lot of things about Slytherin, some of them bad. We're not all into the Dark Arts. I'm not denying that we've produced our share of Dark wizards, but so have the other three houses – they just don't like to admit it. And yes, traditionally, Slytherins are pureblood, but we have quite a few students with muggles in their lineage."

Sarah felt slightly comforted knowing that she was not the only half-blood in Slytherin, though she also had no plans to advertise it. She was smarter than that: while half-bloods may not be looked down upon by all Slytherins, she also knew there was likely a large amount of them who would love to hold it over her head.

"Slytherins are respected by our fellow students, and sometimes, even somewhat feared because of our Dark reputation," Pucey continued. "Don't be afraid to take advantage of that: our emblem is the serpent, the wisest and most cunning of all creatures, for a reason. It can be fun, having a reputation for walking on the wild side, but that does not mean we are bad people. Wear the Slytherin crest and colours with pride and don't let anyone look down on you, whether they're Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, or Ravenclaws."

Sarah smirked. She had never let anyone look down on her and she wasn't about to start now. As for walking on the wild side...well, that's where she liked it best.

"I have two more things to say before I let you go to your dormitories," Pucey said, "firstly, our house ghost is the Blood Baron, and if you get on his good side, he'll sometimes agree to frighten people for you. But don't ask him about the bloodstains - he's rather touchy about that."

There were some nervous giggles from the other first-years, while Sarah cocked her head, already planning to befriend the ghost. Even if she thought using the Baron to frighten people sounded a bit asinine, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have him on her side. One never knew when that might come in handy.

"Secondly, the password to the common room changes every fortnight. The new passwords are posted on the noticeboard, along with other messages that may be important for you to know. Don't let anyone from another house into our common room or tell them our password. We pride ourselves on the fact that no one who is not a Slytherin has entered it for more than seven centuries."(5)

Sarah barely held back a laugh. From what her parents had told her, she knew the Marauders had been into the Slytherin common room several times, often leaving havoc in their wake.

"Girls, come with me, please," a female Prefect said and began to lead Sarah, Astoria, and the two other girls who had been sorted into Slytherin towards the girls' dormitory. "My name is Gemma Farley; I'm a seventh-year Prefect.(6) Like Adrian said earlier, like him, I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have, especially questions that may be awkward to ask a boy." She winked, and the two first-year girls behind Sarah and Astoria tittered.

Gemma opened the door to the first-year dormitory and then clapped her hands together. "I'll leave you to it - your trunks should already be in place, put there by Hogwarts' house-elves. The first class always begins at nine and you will get your full schedules at breakfast which is served from half past seven. Make sure you get plenty of sleep - the first few days of classes are always rather hectic for first-years because the castle is large, so count on being forced to do a lot of traipsing up and down various staircases and getting lost _at least _twice." On that uplifting note, the dark-haired Prefect left, closing the door gently behind her.

The four first-year girls were left staring at each other somewhat awkwardly.

"I'm Sarah Lupin," Sarah said, finally breaking the silence.

"We know," one of the first-years, who had black hair, said. "We overheard you at dinner. I'm Karen Mercer."

"Astoria Greengrass," Astoria said.

"Chloe Crane," the last of the first-year girls, a blonde like Astoria, said. "Should we choose our beds? Do you have any preferences?"

As one, the four girls shook their heads, and turned to look around the dormitory. There was one bed for each of them, ancient four-posters with green silk hangings and bedspreads embroidered with silver thread. Silver lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting light onto the medieval tapestries hung from the walls.(7)

"I'll take this one," Sarah decided, moving over to the bed furthest to the left. Astoria quickly claimed the one beside her, and Chloe and Karen took the last two. They undressed in silence, the event-filled day catching up to them, and climbed into bed.

Once she was beneath the covers, Sarah stared up at the roof of her four-poster, the hangings shut tightly around it so no light could slip through. In the silence, Sarah could hear the sound of the water from the lake lapping against the windows. Before she knew it, her eyes began to slip closed and she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of the soothing water.

* * *

"Argus," Remus greeted, knocking on the caretaker's door and trying not to let it show how uncomfortable he felt using Filch's first name. "Do you have a moment?"

On top of Filch's desk, Mrs Norris rested, the scrawny cat following Remus' every move with her lamp-like yellow eyes.

Filch let out a grunt. "I suppose," he muttered and stopped polishing the manacles hanging from his ceiling. "You know the end is surely coming when the Headmaster decides to make a troublemaker like _you_ a professor." He peered at Remus through narrowed eyes. "Oh, I know I never managed to catch you in the act as much as I did with your little friends, but I just _knew_ you got up to just as much trouble." He gave him an evil little smile. "I used to dream about stringing you all up by your ankles in my chains and giving you a good whipping."

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, deliberately_ not _looking at the chains in question. "Yes, well, that was years ago," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Anyway, I'm afraid I need to inspect your cabinets. You've confiscated a lot of things throughout the years and one of those objects used to belong to me and my friends. I wouldn't ask for it back, except that it could help us locate Sirius Black."

Filch grinned nastily. "And he's the perfect proof that your entire little group of _Marauders," _he spat out the name, "were nothing but bad eggs. But I suppose Black was completely rotten." He jerked his head towards the filing cabinets. "I keep all confiscated property over there."

"Thank you," Remus said graciously and walked over to the cabinet, going through the drawers one by one, while Filch returned to polishing the shackles in the office. Slowly, a frown began to form on Remus' face as he realised he couldn't find the Marauder's Map anywhere. "Argus, are you sure you keep everything here? I can't find what I'm looking for... it would appear to be a normal, blank piece of parchment to you. You confiscated it during my seventh year."

"It's in the drawer marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous," _Filch grunted after a slight pause.

"I've already looked there, you must be mistaken."

"My memory is like an elephant's - I never forget_ anything,"_ Filch spat out, throwing down his cloth and walked over to the cabinet. Slowly, the caretaker's face began to purple as he too looked through the drawer for dangerous objects and came up with nothing. "It must have been stolen!" he hissed, beating his fist against the cabinet in anger. "I bet it were the Weasley twins..." he began to mutter angrily to himself while Remus' shoulders slumped. So much for using the Map to locate Sirius.

"Well, thank you anyway, Argus," Remus said, deciding a strategic retreat was the wisest course as the man began to rant, spittle flying from his mouth: the list of things the caretaker would like to do to the Weasley twins was slightly too graphic for Remus' comfort.

* * *

Remus had just finished inspecting the Defence Against the Dark Arts office and was about to leave for his quarters when there was a knock on the door, and Poppy Pomfrey peeked inside. "May I have a minute?"

"Hello, Poppy," Remus said with a wide smile and immediately headed over to give her a hug. The school matron had been a big support to him from his first day as a student, both as a Healer and as a listener and confidante, and Remus considered her a friend. "It's so nice to see you - and it looks like you've barely aged a day," Remus said, and it was mostly true: apart from a few more grey hairs and wrinkles, she looked just the same.

"Oh, stop it!" Poppy laughed and then hooked an arm through his, and they slowly began to walk down the corridor. "I was so happy when Dumbledore told the staff he had hired you," the matron said. "It's about time we get a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who knows what he's doing." She tutted lightly. "That Lockhart last year...a right disaster."

Remus chuckled. "Yes, I heard."

Poppy gave him a more serious look. "How are you doing, Remus? With Sirius Black's escape from prison, you must feel distraught."

"I'm not sure what I feel," Remus admitted. "I don't think I've wrapped my head around it. I don't think I've even reconciled the Sirius I knew with Sirius the Death Eater. It's always felt so unreal to both me and Buffy."

Poppy nodded. "I understand. Well," she added in a lighter tone of voice, "at least you look fairly healthy, so I'm assuming your wife keeps you well fed."

"Hah!" Remus exclaimed. "Buffy can't cook to save her life. I'm the cook in our family. And Sarah helps sometimes. Buffy's not allowed to do much except chop vegetables. She's good at chopping, though she prefers to chop off heads."

Poppy laughed. "Knowing she's the Slayer, I am not surprised. Who would ever have thought a Slayer and a werewolf would end up together?"

"Not me," Remus said with a smile. "But I thank Merlin everyday that we did."

* * *

The fireplace in the living room flared up, and Buffy, who had been waiting on the sofa for Remus to floo, got to her feet after letting go of her ballpoint pen - some habits die hard, and even after years in the wizarding world, Buffy still favoured _normal _writing equipment in front of quills - dropping it beside the half-finished letter to Sarah she'd been writing while waiting.

"Finally!" Buffy exclaimed, sinking down in front of the fireplace and staring into the flames. "I've been waiting for hours! I thought you were going to floo directly after the welcoming feast?"

"I planned to, but Poppy interrupted," Remus said sheepishly. "Is everything alright over there?"

"Why on Earth wouldn't it be?" Buffy asked with a roll of her eyes.

Remus smiled at her faintly. "Sorry. I suppose after everything we've been through, I can't help but be slightly paranoid. I'm afraid that if I turn my back, you'll be gone."

Buffy sobered. Those years when she'd been stuck in Sunnydale, while Remus had been stuck here, had been difficult for all of them. They were together now, and had been for years, but Buffy understood Remus' fear, despite the Fates' assurances that she belonged in the wizarding world. After all, they had promised her that before. "Well, as you can see I'm here," she said, deliberately keeping her tone light. "And don't worry - I have not burnt down the kitchen. Has Sarah gotten settled in Gryffindor?"

"Uhh...well, I think she's gotten settled," Remus said with a slight wince. "But not in Gryffindor. You don't mind green and silver clothing, do you?"

"Sarah is a _Slytherin?"_ Buffy blurted out in shock.

"I know, it surprised me too," Remus said ruefully.

"Huh." Buffy blinked. "I'll admit I did not see that coming."

Remus snorted. "Me neither. I thought Snape - _Severus, _damn it, I've got to remember to call him _Severus,_ now - was going to have a heart attack when the Sorting Hat shouted out its decision."

Buffy giggled. "I bet. How did Sarah take it? Is she alright? I know she had her heart set on Gryffindor..."

"I think she's fine," Remus said. "She was shocked, at first - she sort of a froze on the stool for awhile, but when I checked on her later during dinner, she was laughing and talking, so I don't think we have to be worried."

"Good," Buffy said. "Though I shouldn't be surprised. Our daughter always manages to land on her feet, doesn't she?" She sighed wistfully. "I miss her already. You will send her my love, won't you?"

"Of course," Remus assured her. "But don't you miss me too?" He fluttered his eyelids theatrically.

Buffy snorted. "You know I do, but at least we can talk like this and you can visit on weekends. Sarah can't."

"I'm sure we can figure out a way for you to see her more often than what is strictly allowed," Remus said, his eyes glittering.

"I like how you think, Mr Marauder," Buffy grinned. "Are you sure Sarah is alright in Slytherin? You know what she's like - she lets her mouth run away with her, and I have a feeling that might not be appreciated among certain members of that house."

"She's fine. I saw her talking - not arguing - with a couple of older Slytherins at the fest, and I think she's made friends with a Greengrass," Remus said.

"Really?" Buffy asked. "Any relation to Belinda, you think?"

"Well, I think Belinda has an older brother, so it's a probability at least," Remus answered. "Either way, as long as she's a good friend to Sarah, I don't care who she's related to. Of course, if she is related to Belinda, maybe we can find out how she and Lucan are doing. I don't even know if they're back in the country."

"Oh, they are," Buffy said. "Have been for years, actually. And they have a daughter who is in Harry's year, remember? I think her name is Tricia or Tory..."

"Tracey," Remus corrected her, for once not smiling at Buffy's usual forgetfulness when it came to names. Instead, he frowned. "You didn't tell me they were back. How did you know?"

"I ran into Lucan at St Mungo's a couple of years ago," Buffy shrugged. "And to be honest, it must have slipped my mind."

"Yes, it seems a lot does," Remus muttered.

Buffy looked away for a moment, feeling ashamed. For years, she had kept the prophecy from Remus. It was only on the tenth anniversary of Lily and James' deaths that she had finally broken down and clued him in, the burden of knowing the real reason they had been targeted finally becoming too much to carry on her own. Buffy had rationalised her keeping it a secret - it had been Lily and James' secret to tell, not hers. Remus hadn't even been angry so much as disappointed, more at himself than at Buffy. _"Why is it that the people who are supposed to be my closest friends doesn't feel they can trust me? Do I appear so untrustworthy?"_ he'd asked self-deprecatingly, obviously having a flashback to when Sirius had accused him of being an agent of Voldemort's, way back then. (And wasn't that ironic?) Buffy had assured him that wasn't the case, and that had been that. Or so Buffy had thought.

Apparently, Remus carried _some_ resentment towards her despite what she'd said. She could feel it now, through the bond, when she was actively searching for it - a sting of emotional pain coupled with a brief twinge of irritation. However, it quickly disappeared, and Buffy narrowed her eyes at her husband, knowing he must have blocked it: it couldn't have disappeared that quickly on its own.

Remus sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not angry. I know the prophecy was not your secret to tell - I'm being petty and ridiculous, and that's not usually how I am. You know that. Please, let's not fight," he begged. "I'm going to see a lot less of you this year than I'd like and I'm already high-strung from this _mess _with Sirius."

"We all are," Buffy sighed.

"I assume Sirius knows about the prophecy as well?" Remus asked.

"Unfortunately," Buffy said.

"Great," Remus muttered, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Like he needed another reason to take Harry to Voldemort."

"What I can't understand," Buffy said slowly, "is if Sirius told Voldemort the prophecy, why did he attack Harry as a baby? If he knew there was the slightest chance he might accidentally 'mark him as his equal,' one would think he'd want to stay as far away as possible and send one of his followers to do the dirty deed."

Remus frowned. "That's a good point. Maybe Sirius didn't have time?"

"He must have," Buffy scoffed. "I'm fairly sure James told him about the prophecy weeks before I did."

"Maybe he didn't know the exact wording. It may not have been obvious to people who didn't know him well, but James did get a bit more paranoid towards...the end." He bit his lip. "Before he and Lily underwent the Fidelius, I mean."

"Maybe," Buffy said, but she was still frowning. "I just can't see James not telling him. Actually, I can, I just can't believe Sirius wouldn't have _demanded_ to hear the whole thing, and that's even if I take the fact he was working for Voldemort out of the equation. He would still have wanted to know exactly what Lily, James and Harry had gotten themselves into. And if not then, he would have insisted on full disclosure under the pretence he had to know before he could agree to being the Secret Keeper. So if he didn't before, he would have had plenty to tell Voldemort the night he betrayed them."

"Well, maybe Sirius was double-crossing both sides?" Remus suggested, though he seemed hesitant. "Maybe he didn't care who won as long as he was alive at the end of it, and decided to take a wait-and-see approach to the whole prophecy thing?"

"Even you don't believe that!" Buffy exclaimed. "Say what you want about Sirius, but once he committed to something, he did so fully. Double-crossing both sides is not something he would do, and wait-and-see has_ never_ been his style."

"Then I don't know!" Remus threw his hands up. "And I suspect we never will. Sirius motivations, to this day, even after twelve years of dwelling on it, will never make any sense to me."

"More and more of this whole mess makes less sense the more I think about it," Buffy muttered with a sigh. "I don't know either, Re. The closest I can come to a...rational explanation is that some tiny part of Sirius still felt a piece of loyalty for James, at least, and that maybe, by not disclosing the whole prophecy to Voldemort, that part felt he had done his part in paying him back for all their years of friendship. Or something like that. Maybe he just _couldn't._ He adored Harry. At least I_ thought_ he did. And Sirius was practically James' _brother. _

"Which makes the whole thing so much worse," Remus sighed. "Can we change the subject, please? If we continue to talk about this, I fear I'll have to cut this conversation short to go to my bed and cry or something."

"Seconded," Buffy sighed. She took a deep breath. "Did you see your sister during the feast?" she asked, making an attempt to look more upbeat.

Remus breathed in and out deeply a few times, visibly collecting himself. "Yes," he finally said. "And on the train."

"On the train?" Buffy exclaimed in genuine surprise. "Did you share a compartment?"

Remus shook his head, inwardly preparing himself for telling Buffy what had happened on the Hogwarts Express, as well as her reaction to it. "No. You won't _believe _what happened - "

* * *

Sirius' tongue lolled out of his mouth and he panted heavily, his tail hanging low. His entire body hurt, his paws must of all, from walking for so long. And he had been forced to take a lot more stops than he'd planned to, to take cover from bad weather for days at a time, break into various Muggle homes to steal food in addition to the raw meat from the animals he had captured in the wild as Padfoot, since he was unable to cook anything, and simply rest. He really wasn't in a very good shape at all. But finally he had made it.

Before him was Hogsmeade, the lights coming from the streetlamps and inside the buildings of the village beckoning him forwards. Slowly, Sirius trotted down the main street in his Animagus form. His stomach growled as he passed the Three Broomsticks when the smell of Rosmerta's cooking reached his sensitive nose, but he did not stop.

Instead, he headed down the smaller alley that was located almost opposite the inn, walking towards the Shrieking Shack. Once inside, Sirius transformed back and sank to his knees as memories of years long gone began to overwhelm him.

Sirius emaciated form trembled as he remembered the times the Marauders had helped Remus through the full moon, but no tears came. He was still too numb, too desensitised from the long Dementor exposure to cry.

Slowly, Sirius got to his feet and sunk down onto the four-poster bed in the room, the only piece of furniture that was not broken, though its hangings were covered in dust. No one had been here in years, but Sirius still knew he could not stay in the Shrieking Shack. It would not be safe. It was too well known, and his old friends - Remus and Buffy - knew he spent time here as a student and they might already have tipped of the Aurors. But just for tonight, he would take the risk and sleep on a real bed. Tomorrow, he would head out again.

Sirius' eyes drooped closed, and sleep took him.

* * *

**Published:** 22/07- 13

* * *

**Trivia**

(1). Harassing someone because you are secretly attracted to them, like a school boy pulling the pigtails of a girl he has a crush on.

(2). The password is another name for aconite, or wolfsbane - the main ingredient in the Wolfsbane potion.

(3). The description of how to get to the Slytherin common room and what it looks like has been deduced from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Pottermore.

(4). At Pottermore, when you get sorted into Gryffindor, Percy Weasley holds a welcoming speech for the new first years. As the Pottermore timeline seems to follow Harry's, this means he was a fifth-year Prefect at this point. From this, I deduced that all welcoming speeches are made by fifth-year Prefects. In the HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban video game, it is implied that one of the dungeon corridor Slytherin Prefects was also on the Quidditch team, so I narrowed down the Prefects to Quidditch members. Of the known Slytherin Quidditch members who would have been in fifth year during Prisoner of Azkaban (Miles Bletchley, Adrian Pucey, Graham Montague, C. Warrington) , I named Adrian Pucey as the Prefect, as, going by book canon, he seems to be the one with the least questionable morals.

(5). The Prefect's speech is greatly inspired by/construed from the speech given to new Slytherin students at Pottermore.

(6). Gemma Farley is the Slytherin Prefect who gives the welcoming speech to new first years at Pottermore. Since the Pottermore timeline follows Harry's, this means she is now a seventh-year, but not Head Girl, since that's Penelope Clearwater at this point in time.

(7). Once again, the description of the Slytherin dormitories are from the welcoming speech for Slytherin students at Pottermore.


End file.
